Eldritch Claw
by Jason Kulls
Summary: A boy only wanting to be normal and far from finds he has fallen down the rabbit hole and finds himself in a place that's far from a wonderland, where mutants roam the lands, and A single company wants him out of the picture for good.
1. Chapter 1

Eldritch Claw

The last Invisus: book 1

A scarred world, a boy with monster beyond his closet, a company mad with power.

He always knew he was different, always trying to be normal.

But now he's fallen down the rabbit hole and it's far from a wonder land.

Here in this twisted wonder land of horror Gane Murdock needs to face more then just the monster roaming the land.

Chapter 1: to wake to the Darkness of stone

My name is Clawtaine. I'm 18 years old and I'm not what you would call normal. Far from infact

I am an Invisus. A being of good and evil, made from the lingering power from a battle between a great angel and devil. This not only created me but gave me the power of eldritch energies, a seed of pure chaos is buried deep in the very center of my soul. I have the skill and knowledge to harness the eldritch power as a tool as well as a weapon.

The first thought that came to my head was that my head was throbbing and that I should take some thing to get rid of it. Then I thought about school and remembered that semester finals where today and I freaked out at the thought of failing my finals.

I opened my eyes suddenly to see a cave roof. I stared at the cold stone roof for a long moment admiring the intricate patterns etched in the stone by millennia of water. Then the thought of

"Where the hell am I!" popped in my head.

I stood up slowly, and found that my muscles were tight and ached. I looked all around the cave, taking in all of my surroundings to try and find out where I was. The cave was damp and dark. I could touch the roof of the cave but that's not saying much since I was five foot eleven. I looked down to find my fairly long legs were dressed in black cargo pants, and then I noticed that I was fully dressed in a black T shirt with a red tribal dragon on the front of it, my feet were clad in black leather military boots, and as the finishing touch I was wearing my black trench coat. I was utterly confused.

"How on earth did I end up in here?" I thought in a sudden panic. I turned my thoughts to getting out of this dark, stone prison. I began to look around the cave for and exit. I turned around and around in a circle, on the brink of mindless panic. There was no opening in sight that held the light of day, but there was a tunnel to my right that could lead me out or lead me deeper into trouble. After a moment of thought I decide to take the chance and wandered into the tunnel.

The tunnel went on for a while before it finely opened up to a large cavernous room with a caved in opening. I groaned at the thought of clearing this exit out. After a moment of thought I finally mustered myself to the task before me. I clapped my hands together and rubbed them with anticipation. I knelt down and placed my hands on the rocks I closed my eyes and siphoned my eldritch energy through my hands and into the rocks. The rock began to glow black with small wisps of silver that seemed to flout through the rocks. This felt deferent then it should feel, more powerful, stronger, more wild, and untamed. I looked on in a combination of awe, wonder, and fear. Then stood up and stumbled back and fell flat on my back. The rocks began to glow brighter, more black that seemed to radiate off the rocks and the silver strips and threads began to show on the wall like a child's night light. There was the sound of cracking rock and then a sudden sound that should not have been heard by mortal ears, a sound that would reverberate through more then just this world.

I felt dizzy, tired and drained, for a few seconds everything was spinning, I regained my strength still feeling tired, but stable.

I looked down at my hands as sun light flooded in through the now open cave entrance. My hands glowed black with wisps of silver just like that of the rocks that I had just blew to ruble. I had eldritch magic my whole life but this was different. This was old magic, older then most life that has ever been in heaven or hell, I didn't understand how I know this but I just did.

Eldritch power comes in many colors that are dependent on the owner personality and the more "pure" the color the more powerful it is, the less pure the color is the more transparent it is. The colors are: blue, red, purple, green, and yellow. Blue is for those of good intent, red for those of dark intent, purple for those who are only trying to survive, green for those that had purple but mastered the powers.

When I was young my eldritch energy was purple and after years of hard work I eventually reached eldritch metamorphoses turning my eldritch into a more potent and strong green eldritch.

I stepped out in to the sun shielding my sensitive silver colored eyes, from the painful sun.

Before I tell you what I saw I'm just going to get all of my history out of the way to avoid confusion.

I grew up in an orphanage where my mother had left me when I was 3 months old. The people that worked there had always told me that my mother look just like me but her hair was blond with two black strips that were in the same places as the silver stripes in my hair. That she had a feeling of love, calmness and leader ship around her. I had never known my mother or father and I probably never would. I never knew what I really was until I was 13 years old. That was when I woke up to find a pair of horns growing out of my forehead and a pair of devil wings growing out my back. Thanks only to lady luck that at that every moment that I could make the wings and horns retract at will. After that I spent all of my free time reading everything I could about angels, devils, demons, and every mythological creature. I was some how born with the knowledge of what I was. It was for this that I knew that Demons were not hell spawn but creatures the manifested of pure elemental chaos that lived in a realm called the Abyss. I also knew that there was not one Devil but several different races of them. I know that I was an Invisus also called a fallen angel and how they came to be. I knew that Lycanthropes (were creature like werewolves) came from us Invisus and that I can have a beast form like a Were creature but far more powerful. I knew that I had the ancient power of chaos lased with in my soul, I knew that there were myths that there was a kind of eldritch magic more powerful and wild then the others, that it was older then many of the gods and that its colors were either black, silver, gold or white.

It was now that I knew that I had gone through what was in sense eldritch metamorphosis while I was in the cave and that I had a power that the world had never seen and should never see.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: the world a new, Reborn for the better or worse

After my eyes adjusted to the light I looked around to try and figure out where the hell I was.

Before me was a flat, dead, dry waste land. To my left about 40 yards way there was the first horror and not the last that I would see. A forest stood as a symbol of death and sorrow. The once green ground was brown, dried and cracked, the trees dead, blacked, and hardened from a fire long ago. The one thing that was not natural was that all the trees and shrubs were still standing even though they had been dead for ages, they should have fallen or burned to nothing. Only a fire of unnatural heat could have done this and it had to have been put out soon after it had started.

I stood there staring at the unnatural monument that showed me that more time had past then I had suspected at first. Behind me was a mountain that ran of in both directions and slowly curled back around its self. But the most extraordinary thing in the whole scene was the city in the distance, a shining city of glass and diamond surrounded by a wall that looked exactly like the brown, clay like ground around it.

I stood there in shock for along time with only one thing going through my head.

"What the hell happened?"

After a long while I finally came to my senses and started the long, long walk to the only point of civilization in sight. I walk and walked for along time, my mind blank with the shock of what I saw.

A deep growl that came from behind brought me back to my senses. The growl was beep, full of hate, hunger, madness, and not of this world. I turned to face this new aviary that hungered for my flesh. I could tell that it was hungry from the growl, one of a starving, rabid dog.

I turned to find a pack of seven nightmarish hounds. They had no skin, only muscle and veins, their claws were freakishly large, and looked to be made to sever limbs.

**Ferule Mutant Dogs.**

"Well this is not going to be a normal day." I said with a groan.

I slipped off my coat and hunched over. For as long as I can remember, I had fought against an inner animal, something that was always hungry and yearning for the hunt, it was never over powering but was always there in the back of my mind.

I let the beast chained inside of me out. I could feel each bone in my body breaking, reforming into a new shape, size, and place. The pain was unlike anything most people could imagine passed over my body in a wave dulled only by the number of times I had done this before.

Fur grew all across my body as it heightened, shoulders broadened, claws grew, a second joint formed each in my legs. The final and most dramatic change was that of my head, my ears lengthened and moved up my head, my eyes grow bigger, their color changing from silver to a wild untamed yellow, my mouth broke and grow into a snout filled with razor sharp, jagged teeth.

I stood 8 feet tall in a form caught somewhere between man and wolf. My fur was black, so black that light didn't reflect off of it, with silver tribal marks covering me from head to toe. I was a werewolf about not. I was angel, devil, beast and man all at once.

I bared my teeth at Mutant Dogs in hopes of making them back off. But instead they took a step forward all in unison. I cursed under my breath and unfurled my large, dark gray angel wings. But before I could do anything the veins of the Leech hounds peeled off from their bodies and wrapped around my body and began to dig into my skin, drinking the every blood from my body.

I could feel the blood slowly being darned from me. I fought against the tentacle like veins but it was useless. I fell to my knees, tired and dizzy from blood loss. I did not have much time to act and if I didn't do something fast I would die.

In a final desperate attempt I dug deep within my soul and let my body explode into black fire. It felt cold and warm at the same time against my skin, it felt so good and seemed to give me strength. The tentacles retracted in pain, making a hissing sound as they did so. The flesh on the tentacles was blackened and chard. The wounds on my body quickly sealed, leaving nothing behind but scares.

I slowly got to my feet and glared at the vile creatures that stood before me, creatures that are native to neither heaven nor hell. The first hound lunged at me with the intent of ripping out my entrails. Just as it came within my arms reach I stepped to the side and let the hound land right where I stood just moments ago. As the creature turned to face me 13 years of martial arts kicked in….literally, for just as the beasts head turned to face me I brought my right knee to my chest and launched the foot straight into the beasts jaw, for your info this kick is called a side kick. As the kick hit the mark there was the sound for breaking bones followed by the sight if the dog stumbled way about 5 feet from the power of the kick and tripped over. The Leech hound shakily stood up again, turning to face me again I then saw that I not only broke its jaw but ripped the jaw almost all the way off, the jaw was hanging by only a few strands of musical and tendon.

I extinguished my body of the black flames with nothing more then a thought, then I turned back to face the already wounded Mutant Dog. I reached out my hand fingers loosely splayed, a thin stream off black flame snaked out from the very tip of my middle finger to form a small ball of black fire no bigger than a baseball with silver wisps just at the edge off my reach. The ball of flame hovered there for a moment before I sent it flying at the beast before me. As the eldritch blast hit the Mutant Dog a huge chunk of the beast was blown out from the rest of the body. The remains of the body stood there for a moment before it finally fell to the ground like an over sized rage doll.

I turned to what remained of the pack, readying my self for the attack. I stepped my left foot back into a battle stance, I placed my hands together palms facing forward. I concentrated my eldritch magic into my hands and shaped it into a cone and launched it out. Coming out from my hands were black rings that from above look to be made of paper. The rings started out the size of my palms, and close together one in front of the other but as the rings went farther out they grew in size and spared out. Any thing cot with in the rings was lit a blaze with black flames and then began to melt.

I lowered my hands, feeling as if my very soul was being sucked out, and fell to my knees, the smell of burnt and melted flesh hung thick in the air. I Vision was going blurry and I had to fight to keep my self awake. I pulled my self to my feet shakily and continued to walk toward the city in a weak stumbling manner.

I was exhausted, feeling weak and drained and about 6 yard forward from the battle site I finally gave in to the beaconing comfort of unconsciousness. As I fell to the ground with a dull thump I found the dirt under me quite comfortable. My mind was surrounded by darkness after that, and then I found my self dreaming of my past.

I was 13 when I woke up and rolled out of my cot at the top of a bunk bed. I shared the room with five other boys, the walls were painted green and there was a bunk bed at three of the four walls, with one dresser per bunk bed so two people each shared one. I rolled out and landed on my feet in a hazy fog for sleep. I yond and stretched as I walk out of the room in my boxer briefs and under shirt to the bath room across the hall I was always the fist to wake so I was always the first to get the bathroom, early bird gets the bathroom. As I stepped in I closed the door behind me, when I turned back eyes still half closed I reached for my hair brush. My fingers wrapped around it and I brought it to my head to try and fix my hair but as it drew close to my hair it hit something, I tried again but harder and this time I herd a strange clicking sound. It was then that I opened my eyes all the way to find that over night two horns sprung from my head. They came out from the very edge of my forehead just before the hair began to grow, they curved back about an inch and a half over my head. The horns curved to the shape of my head even though they never touched my head, and at the last two inches of the horns they curved up, and on the top side of the horns they were sharp and serrated like that of a knife.

I stared at my reflection eyes wide and mouth open. I was stunned, with fear, aw, confutation and disbelief. Shakily I raised my hands to my forehead and grabbed the horns. Once I rapped my fingers around the horns with a good strong grip I tugged, but they would not budge. I tugged again but the horns would not move. I placed my right foot on the sink in front of me and pulled with all of my might. But instead of the horns coming off they remained there and I could feel the force of my hands pulling through the horns, this meant that they were real. As I realized this I stopped tugging on the horns and because of the sudden loss of force I fell back onto the floor. I landed on something hard and bony. After a moment I realized that that something had feeling and that meant it was part of me as well. I jumped up in a panic and found that that I had a pair of leathery bat wings sprouting from my back.

They looked to be covered in a thick hide of some sort, colored in a deep blackish red, each finger like joint ended in a sharp spike. As I look in disbelief at my wings in the mirror, movement caught the my eye and as I looked at the movement in the mirror I then saw that I had a tail, red, scaly, and like that of a lizards tail but with more mobility and flexibility. Then it hit me that I was not dreaming, and as it hit my I screamed my lungs out. I wanted these "things" to go away, I wanted to look normal again. As if in response the inhuman features retracted into my skin, pulling back in from weans they came. At that moment I learned that I could control my inhuman features with my will.

Then suddenly I jumped ahead to when I was fifteen. I was a freshman at Raven Canyon High School or better known as RC. Everything was painted the school colors, green and white. I was never welcome at the high school, some of the teachers liked me because I was eager to learn, plight, and hard working despite my mathematic and scientific limitations, but many of the students disliked me because I was trying to learn and seemed to make them look bad even though I was not trying.

I had just closed my locker feeling proud about my self for getting a B+ on an English test, being able to wear angel and devil feature at the same time and as a bonus I just figured out that I could turn into a werewolf creature. This was a big feat for me since I was still learning what I could do.

"Oh look boys I think I found a worm in my way" said an all too familiar voice that came from behind me. I turned to find John Marks the freshman Rug bee star and three of his buddies staring down at me. My heart was racing and I wanted to run but I had run for most of the year and today was going to be different. I straitened up and kept my eyes at a monotone look.

"Yes John? Is there something I did to make you hate me?" I asked looking at him eye to eye.

"Ya punk! You keep being a smart ass in class and I'm sick of it! Why don't you use some of that _Karate_ shit on me if _you really_ know it?" He sneered at me.

I closed my eyes, soughed, and shook my head.

"I know 30 different styles of marshal arts but there is a reason it is called self defense. I have to be defending my self, or if that's to much for your small brain to comprehend…" I stopped to take a deep breath to settle my nerves since I know what would happen after the next sentence.

"_You have to throw the first punch and then I kick your ass_." I said every slowly and in a tone that made it sound like I was talking to an idiot with an IQ of 3.

His face turned bright red and he pulled back his right arm for a punch. I tightened my grip on my Math text book and ducked at the last second as John threw the punch. It whizzed over my head and landed on the locker door with a metallic TWANG that rang deep and resonated through the row of lockers. My supernatural ears heard the cracking sound of braking fingers and knuckles. Before John could even react to the pain of punching the locker door I brought up my text book spine first into his groin. I let it hit and sit there to magnify the pain. John yelled in pain and agony, crumbling to the flour in a huddled ball. I know that I had just made a bad mistake and ran out of the group and down the hall.

"GET HIM!" I heard John order the other Rug bee players in a very high almost squeaky tone voice through clinched teeth.

I ran down the hall and stopped the bottom of a stair case to make shire that the thugs were fallowing me and that they saw me. After I heard one of them yelling to the others that I was heading for the stairs I did just that. I ran up the set of stairs three steps at a time, bouncing from one to the other, taking my time. Now I had the higher ground which gave me the strategic advantage, I got my self into a combat ready stance and watched as the group came out the stairs to face utter embracement.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Wail of evil

When I came back to the real world I found that my head was pounding even worse then when I first woke up in the cave. I monde and sat up. As I got to my feet I noticed a pool of blood from the leech hound that I had hit with an eldritch blast. I stared into it for a long while, looking at my reflection I finally decided to stop pretending to be something I'm not. I took a deep breath and let my horns grow out of my head. It had been a long time since I had let the horns show on my head and now the looked even more jagged and sharp. As I let these natural traits expose them selves I noticed that my eye brows looked a bit more jagged as well, and my lower jaw grew a bit more jagged as well. I still held the wolf like fetchers of my human face but now they seems even more wolf like, wild, and rouged. I still kept my angel wings as I always did on my back, and because of that I had thin holes put in my coat and shirts so that I could extend my wings without destroying my clothes.

I shrugged off the look and continued to walk forward the city.

The rest of the walk there was boring but in a good way, I was perfectly happy to not be attacked by unnatural creatures.

When I drew close enough I noticed that there were large turrets on the top of the wall turrets that I eminently recognized as rail guns. I cursed under my breath and readied my self for the battle of a lifetime.

Rail guns were used on specified military ships; the gun took up the whole front of the boat and used high powered magnets to launch anything from special ammo to bits of scrap iron.

I could not even think of a gun like that as a turret.

Then upon closer inspection I saw that they were facing inward toward the city. I approached cautiously, hoping that I would not be used for target packets.

While approaching the city I started having second thoughts about going into the city and about it being a city, I started thinking it was a high security prison. My thoughts were only sped along when I saw a hole in the wall only big enough for a man to slip through.

Before I even thought about looking through the hole I walked up to the wall, places the side of my head against it and knocked on it with my left hand. I closed my eyes so that I could better scene the vibrations. The wall was made of 5 feet of clay, 18 feet of steel and an inch of something, something familiar that I could not put my finger on. Then it hit me like a rubber mallet, between the clay and steel was 2 inches of adamantine.

I stepped back from the walk in confutation. How long had I been I that cave? And how on earth did the Humans get the recipe for making an almost indestructible metal? I had felt like I was in a dream the whole time since I first woke up in the cave I still could barley believe that I had achieved Black eldritch magic, but now, creatures from the Abyss attacking me, the world for all I knew by the landscape was gone, and now humans found out how to make a Metal from myths. I could barley handle the first thing let alone all four things. My mind had a melt down. I slumped against the wall with my back and slowly slid to the ground. I raised my hands to my face and let the power seep out of them. My hands burst into flames of shadow and silver. I stared into the flames for a long time trying at first to wake up but when I know I was not dreaming I just let all of my fear, confutation, and hate get devoured by the black flames. When I felt every last negative emotion burned up I stood up and examined the hole.

I still could not believe that all of this was happening so fast but I would go along with it until I could find a good time to site down and sort every thing out. But in the mean time… there was this hole and who or what ever made it.

The hole was only big enough for on man to fit through it at a time, so between that and the fact that there were no scorch marks on the wall that meant that explosives were out of the question of what made it. The cracks on the surrounding wall showed that the hole was made with brute force so that meant humans were out of the question as well. And the final clue that led me to my conclusion was that the ruble made from the hole was all inside the city and that meant that some thing broke in and that was not a good thing for who ever lived in this city.

I climbed through the hole cautiously, ready for some human sized monster with super strength to come out of nowhere and slam me into the wall so hard my head would explode, but nothing happened. I looked around but all I saw was a street with buildings on either side of it, each building was different, from what I could tell the set up was very organized. One and two story buildings were squared with rounded edges, three to eight stories tall buildings looked like office buildings, tall and rectangular with sharp edges, and any building taller then eight stories looked like a well cut gem with random sides and edges but with an artistic look to it. The only thing that all of these buildings had in common was the thick layer of red tan dust that stuck to the buildings like powdered sugar. But some thing was a miss, this place did not feel right, like animals I can scene when some thing is not right and that it is not safe. I turned back to the hole, ready to jump through it but what I saw stopped me dead in my tracks. A Mutant Dog was running toward me at a dead run, a run that was not of hunger or hate but of fear. The creature was running for its life, from some unseen predator. It had almost made it to the hole when I heard the wind start to pick up. The hound was about two feet away from the hole when a wall of sand slammed into it, enveloping the creature whole. Seconds later a skull slid through the hole and stopped just at my feet. I knelt down and picked up the skull, it was a dog skull. It took me a moment to process what had just happened. Then I realized what had just happened. The Leech hound had just been skinned alive by some sort sand thing. I looked back out the hole and then realized that it was a sand storm. After a few moments of thought I came to the conclusion that the sand was so sharp and the wind was blowing so hard that anything cot in it would be reduced to bones, this was no sand storm it was a flay storm.

"Looks like there's no turning back. So now its time for me to wander through this hellish maze or ruin." I said to my self in a quivery voice. I turned around to face the city head on and began to walk through it, ready for creatures meant only for nightmares to rend me limb from limb.

I walked through the city ready for any thing, jumping at shadows and the whisper of the wind. Something was not right about this city, it felt bad and evil to me and all I wanted was to be out of it as soon as possible. I stuck to the streets so that I could not be surprised as easily and not get cornered. The Streets of the city were made of smooth asphalt that would have looked shiny and new if not for the red tan dust that covered it. After a while I began to see that this city was not all that different from the ones I knew, The streets were the same size with the same design, same building set up. What looked to be houses were set up in clusters; same with what I thought were the office buildings. The area was unnaturally silent; the only sound was the wind blowing up against the walls which were the only thing that kept me from ending up like the Leech hound, as a pile of bleached white bones.

Just as I got relaxed, thinking that nothing bad would happen, it came. The creepiest sound you will ever hear. It was a little girl's voice singing an old song.

"Ring around the rosy. Pocket full of posy. Ashes, ashes we all fall down. It said in a happy voice, pausing after singing only to let out a giggle of laughter then the voice would go on singing again.

The way the voice said each word sent a shiver down my spine. It sounded happy, and lonely, and sounded as if what ever was singing that song did not belong in the land of the living.

I shivered at the thought of a little girl skipping through the city, singing a song about the Black Death. The fact that I knew what the song was about did not help to calm my nerves.

The song was made in medieval Europe when the Black Death, a plague ran rampant through out the continent killing most of Europe.

This shook me to the core. But I had to find and kill what ever was singing that song in order to prevent it from luring some unknowing traveler clutches. I closed my eyes and tried to figure out where the sound was coming from, it was harder then you would think because it seemed to bounce off the surrounding buildings. After a while I figured out where it was coming from and ran in that direction. As I ran deeper into the city I found my surroundings gradually changing from the almost pristine looking to the completely rundown ruins of what looked to have been a great battle. There were bullet holes, scorch marks, dried blood splattered, sprayed, and drenched every where. Bodies lay, mutilated, and half eaten, scattered about the area. The song continued, going on and on, trying to drive me to madness but I held firm to my sanity. I with drew my blade and held it in my right hand while I bounded toward the sound.

I finally found the building where the creepy singing was coming from. By now the singing was tarring at the edges of my sanity some how as if the song was casting a spell of evil. The Building was what looked to once be a house, that had a one point become old, run down, and ruined. The door was missing from the hinges in the front of the house; I stepped into the house with the utmost caution. The room I had just stepped into looked like a family room with a couch, two recliner chairs, and what looked to be a high tech TV. The room was covered in the remains of charismas decorations, old stockings lay in the flour, the remains of lights hung on the walls by nails, an old long dead tree covered in a few ornaments lay propped against a wall in the corner to my right. I looked at the closer at the tree and saw that there were three identical stars hanging in the shape of a triangle.

"That's odd." I thought to my self wondering why the family that lived here would buy three of the same ornament and hang them all in the same spot. But I did not have much time to think about it because at that every moment the singing stopped. The house that was once filled with the sound of singing was now filled with the sound of _dead_ silence. And that terrified me even more. For a brief moment I began to question why I was here, why I was putting my skin on the line for people that would be stupid enough to go looking for the creature making the sound. But then I came to my scenes, I was doing this to rid the world of something that did not be long here, that would pray on the weak and innocent for the sheer pleaser of it. I was the only one in the area that could kill what ever it was, and bring some hope back into this world.

I went strait from the main opening in to a hall that was like the rest of the house in shambles. Old pictures hung in the remains of frames on the wall or lay on the flour, the paint was yellowed and peeling off the walls. I walked past rooms with their doors hanging by a hanging, or missing. In each room there was blood and claw marks every where, on the beds, walls, and even the dressers.

At the end of the poorly lit hall was a room with the door perfectly in tacked although still in poor condition from age?

I know as soon as I saw the door I know that in that room was what I was looking for.

With My five foot long machete shaped blade in my right hand I slowly pushed open the door with my other hand.

The rooms walls were colored pink with flowers panted all across the room, the bed was torn to shreds, and there were piles of splintered wood around the room which I assumed to be a toy box and a dresser. In the center to the room a little girl no older then nine crouched on the balls or her feet, her back turned toward me. She wore an old yellow skirt that was pasted with dirt and blood. She rocked back and forth on her heels, humming softly.

I stepped into the room with the utmost awareness toward the girl but when a flour board creaked under my foot I thought I was a dead man. But the girl didn't seem to notice the sound. I stepped forward again this time with less care, nothing happened. Finally with the third step the girl was with in my arms reach. I slowly and shakily reached out my arm. Just as my fingers were about to curl around her shoulder she stopped rocking.

"Will you play with me?" she said in a sweet, innocent ton.

I was about to answer with a yes but I did not.

I paused for a moment realizing what I was doing.

"It's a-" Could not even finish my thought be for the girl wiped around to face me.  
>It was no girl, not any more. It had razor sharp nails that looked to be a foot and a half long, were her eyes should have been there was only skin which had grown over empty eye sockets, two long gashes reached from either side of its mouth all the way to where its ears should have been making it look like the creature was smiling all the time showing its needle like teeth. The creature jumped at me, and I fell backward, my sword falling out of my hand. I fell on a pile of splintered wood and impaled myself on a wooden spike the ripped through my chest. I yelled in agony as I felt the spike tarring through me. Then the creature pounced and landed on me, making me sink deeper onto the spike.<p>

The creature seemed to slither in place as it stood on me, moving gracefully from side to side, its tong slithered out of its mouth a serpent. Its arms move in smooth, fluid motions as they came close to my face, the nails barley touching my skin but still drawing blood. I was close enough now to notice that it's nose and ears were ripped off. That meant that this _thing_ was once human but was possessed by an evil entity. The creature's breath was noxious, it smelled of rotting meat. The Creature drew its face closer to mine and had to turn away to breath. I cot a glimpse of something bleached white. I craned my neck to see what it was and found it to be a pile of bones, three leg bones. Then the creature began to talk but not in the sweet and innocent ton like before. This time as it spoke it was a rasp the changed ton from beep to high as it spoke.

"What should I eat first? Your fleshy legs, or should I save those for last? You are so scrawny, there's not much meat here. You should have eaten more before you came to see me. The family of this little young girl was a small feast too but still bigger then you." It said looking at me with savage hunger.

"Sorry about that. I have a rather fast metabolism, and I try to stay in shape. But if you are hungry then maybe you should eat _**this**_!" I said and with the finishing note of the sentence I lit my hand a blaze with black fire and punched the creature in the chest, trying to get it off of me. As I hit the creature in its chest I knocked it off of me and sent if flying into the back wall. The wall cracked under the sudden force of a body hitting it.

The body hit the ground like a limp rag doll. I placed my arms behind me and slowly pushed my self off the spike. As I finally came off the spike I solidified the flames of my hands, elongating them to long tendril like whips. I had to not show that I know how to kill it so as it rose to its feet in an inhuman way I stood my ground. Its feet planted on the ground while the rest of its body lay there of a moment before raising up in a way that would be impossible for some one to do with out having inhuman back muscles and muscle control.

I circled around trying to keep the creature in front of me. When its back was toward the bones I took my chance. I cracked both whips in the air and then brought them around both of the creature's legs. As the eldritch whips tightly wrapped around the possessed girls legs the smell of burning flesh filled the room, the creature screamed in pain, a scream that made my ears bleed. But I didn't notice because I was hell bound on killing this thing. With the creature barley able to keep its balance I ran at it. I hit it with my shoulder and ran it strait to the ground right next to the three bones. I placed my knees firmly in its gut and let the whips that were a part of my hands evaporate. I grabbed one of the bones in my hand and let black energy flow through my hand and into the bone. Part of the bone began to melt, leaving the as a sharp spike.

"The bone beloved, wrongly taken from life, corrupt shall be cleansed. The souls of your family linger waiting for one last soul to be set free and you shale torment this world no longer." I said with a look of determination on my face.

"This is a bone of a family member that you killed the girl inside cant be restored but she can be saved." I finished. The creature began thrashing wildly, trying to get free.

"NO, NO! I shall not fall, I shall not die. I took this body as my own and mine alone, you shall not ki-"

"Just shut up" I said cutting off the spirits last words. With that I held the spike in both hands, razed it high above my head and brought it down with a strange gurgling sound. The sound came from the girls chest as I drove the spike in, it went in surprisingly deep. After the sound of gurgling stopped the body suddenly changed into a thick black slug. The soul of the little girl was free and my serves was done. I stumbled out of the room, with black slime on my pants. I was tire, sore, and had a large hole in my chest, I was just grateful that I did not impale my self on an Iron rod or I would have died. Since Iron is like led poisoning to me and if I got stabbed with iron I would not be able to heal at all, my wound would get infected, and the iron would creep through my blood stream and kill me slowly.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Inhuman extermination plans

The room was darkly lit and so large it took up the entire 100th floor of the Bio Corp head office, and she liked it that way. The Floor was carpeted in thick, furry animal fur, the fur of almost every endangered animal on earth. She stood alone in the room wearing a very expensive, black dress suit with long hair draped over her shoulders. She was of average height for a woman, with tight, sharp facial fetchers, and long black, silk like hair that held s dyed red streak through the middle. She was a sight that made men gape in awe and women glare at with hate and envy. She looked stunning and she used it to her every advantage. The room that she stood in was empty aside from the lone, large desk sitting at the far end, opposite the lone elevator entrance. The entire far wall behind the desk was a window that was sold black except for the thin two inch shafts of light on both the top and bottom to the window that provided the only light in the room.

The elevator doors opened with a distant ding of a bell. A short made, bold man wearing thick rim glasses and rankled blue dress suit stumbled into the room with his arms full of files and papers, many of which were falling out of his arms and laying scattered across the floor. The women sat down behind the desk and waited for the stumbling man to reach her, she sat back in her over sized leather chair and inner lased her fingers. "I am so sorry about this Mama

but I have some important news to inform you about." The man said in a rather unsteady voice.

"Continue." Said the women in a tone that showed her curiosity about the matter.

"One of our Cameras in Restricted Zone Alpha 537 has picked up footage of a new possible threat." The man continued. The women stiffened with annoyance and her tone became aggravated as she answered.

"I don't want to hear any more about the Banshee Project, it only worked on that one girl and nothing more." The man grew pale and after a moment he replied in a tone of fear.

"The Banshee Project was killed and the new subject is still alive and it's not human." The Women's eye widened and her eye brows rose.

"Really, tell me more." She said in a tone that hid none of her excitement, of curiosity.

The man took a deep breath and continued. "The new subject appears to be male, tall and thin, but seems to have the ability to heal at an unprecedented rate from normally fetal wounds, as well as shape shift and produce a kind of energy we have never seen before and harness it as a weapon."

"This is very good, very good. Try and get me some its DNA for testing, and cloning. I must have it under my control." The women said with delight that seemed almost evil.

"Yes mama, but I hope you know that there is a Rebellion fight going on in that area, and we have squad in there. Should we pull them out?"The man asked but the woman was already answering his question before he had finished saying it.

"No, leave the squad there, if this thing is good enough to kill the Banshee I need to see what it's fully capable of."

"YES mama."

And with that final line the man rushed out of the room.

I had made it to the main room with the charismas tree before I fell into unconsciousness. I know what you are thinking that I am almost invincible, but that's wrong. If I am shot enough, decapitated, detonated, or stabled with Iron I will die. While healing and incautious I dreamt of my past. I was walking to the orphanage from the library. I was in a dark, damp ally when they came.

I was thirteen hand was still adapting to my new features, race and the fact that I was not human, I had not yet learned about the eldritch power lased deep with in my soul. I was about half way through the ally when five outlined figures stood, blocking my way. I could not see who they were because of the sun setting right behind them, but I could tell by their out lines that they were not to be messed with. I turned around and found that I was boxed in.

I turned around franticly again hoping that this was just a dream but it was not, this was all real and I was going to be dead soon.

"well, well look who we have here. A lonely seventh grader walking through our turf." Came a gruff voice behind me. I turned slowly to find a familiar face looking down upon me. He was seventeen year old boy, with a strong square chin, small beady eyes, and a row of piercings running down the left side of his face. I knew him like many people as the big, tuff, scary guy called Train. I swallowed hard and tried to keep my cool even though I felt like a cornered dog. "Hi Train" I said in a nervous voice. "Is there any thing I can do to help you." I continued while trying to keep the fear out of my voice.

"Why yes there is something you can do for me. You can take a beating for wandering into my turf and cus I hate the way you are looking at me." Train said in a tone that sent a shiver down my spine and with a smile that turned my stomach inside out. I took a step back in fear trying to stay out of his reach for as long as I could.

There was a moment of strange silence when on one moved and it felt like time had just stopped. I thought that maybe the universe had given me a reprieve from getting beaten but then Train charged me. I throw myself to the side, bashing my shoulder into the hard brick wall in the posses. Train flew right by me, catching him self before he hit the group of his friends on the far end of the ally. I coat my self from falling to the ground but the pain in my shoulder unbearable to say the least. Train turned back to face me, as he did so I braised myself for another charge but instead he walk up to me at a slow trot. I slid back against the wall as far as I could before I reached the wall of people. On of the people that prevented my retreat shoved me toward Train, I fell flat on the ground at Trains feet. I began to pull myself up when Train kicked me in the ribs; the pain was intolerable, the air leaping from my lungs as I hit the concrete ground once more. Train picked me up by the back of my shirt, lifting me to look face to face with the giant of a figure. His other hand clenched into a fist and at that moment I knew what was going to happen and I did not like it at all.

There was a blur of motion and then I hit the ground in a massy fog, curled in a ball on the cold, hard earth, clutching my . There was laughter from above me and on either side. Train turned around to face some of is friends and that was when it happened, the pain left my body, replaced by a burning hate. I stood up slowly rising to my feet, head held low, heat seemed to radiate from me, making the air around me shimmer. I raise my arms out slowly to either side of me, fingers splayed.

One of the on looker noticed me rising and said "Hay Train looks like the shrimp is looking for some more beating!" "YA! Give it to him!" yelled another. "Let's see some blood this time Train!" shouted another. Train turned around with a smile that would have made any one shutter… Well any one but me at that moment. He walked back up to me at a brisk walk. "SO you think your tougher then me, you little piece of crap! Well let's see how tough you really are as a grease stain on the pavement!" he said as he strolled up to me.

The wind picked up around me making my hair and clothes flutter wildly. "You pick on any one smaller then you so that you look cool to your friends. That is sad and pathetic. But you picked the wrong kid to pick on because now I will show you the meaning of suffering" I said in a calm tone that scared even me. I had no control over my body, it felt like a reflex like twitching or blinking. I suddenly raised up off the ground flouting there for a moment before Train decided to try and punch me. His face was a twisted combination of confutation, fear, hate, rage, and abhor. He through his whole body in behind the punch, aiming it at my head. But neither he nor I could have expected what came next, my body burst into purple flames, covering me head to toe. He yelped in pain and jumped back before he could even hit me. His hand was badly burned but I looked more insufferably mad then in pain. There was a long moment of silence that seemed to last eternity before all hell broke loose. Every one either charged at me of turned and ran for their lives as if hell its self was hot on their heels. This only shows the most basic of human instincts the fight of flight when something they don't understand comes from out of the blue.

I raised my hand up in front of me palms out, fire balls of purple energy began to fly out from my hands and hit every thing in front of me both charging and fleeing. Each person fell when hit by one of my blasts of flame and did not get up, each had a large burn mark on their backs or chests that was the exact shape and size of the blasts that I seemed to throw.

That was my first encounter with the Eldritch magic that I held deep with in. I spent all of my free time after that moment practicing with this new power, I learned how to shape it into weapons, balls of fire, a cone of energy, a beam that would bounce from target to target, and more. After A long time my powers changed and turned from purple to green and that meant that my attacks would become more potent, and gave me access to new Eldritch forms like Eldritch ink; a form of Eldritch magic that is liquid and is used to melt through many different things. And as for the dead bodies that were found in the ally by the cops, a company called Bio corp. took all the blame claiming that a new experimental weapon had been stolen and the killer had been captured.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Friends, foes, and me

When I awoke from my memory dream the first thing that I saw was the unclean floor of a house that was not mine and probably newer then me given that I had no idea what year it was.

I pulled myself up onto my hands and knees and groaned aloud in pain, my gut felt like it had taken a shot gun blast at point blank. I stood up and stretched, trying to loosen all of the muscles that I had pulled fighting that thing that had tried to eat my face off. Once I thought that my body would loosen no more I pulled up my shirt to find a scar about the size of a fist just bellow my rib cage. It looked very odd since it was perfectly round and had a slight bulge to it. I lowered my shirt and looked around again.

Everything was the same as before and the sand storm was still going on outside of the city, so that meant that I wasn't out for that long. I crawled to my feet and walked out the door, keeping my eyes open for anything that might eat me.

The city all seemed the same, covered in red brown dust, quite, and flat out creepy or at least this section of the city was. All the buildings seemed to act like the walls of a maze, keeping you in and making shore you were lost, and because of that I just wandered around in the general direction of the center.

After two or three hours of wondering around the streets, jumping at every shadow, sound and sign of movement I found a large metal door that seemed to block of the high way or whatever they call the large road I was walking on. I looked to be thick and have god knows how many locking mechanisms in side. I looked to closed from either side with tow haves of the door would inter lock. Lucky for my though that I did not have to worry about, breaking down the door and angering whoever was on the other side, because there was a Mutant Dog skull lodged in-between the two doors. The crack was just large enough for me to make a tight squeeze through. As I wiggled my way through crack and popped out the other side I found I was in a not to different world then what I had just left. The buildings were less dirty and in better condition than the last others that I had just left.

But the one big change was the sound, not too far off was the sound of gun fire, shouts, and the occasional explosion. The sound seemed defining, every explosion shaking the earth beneath my feet. I proceeded toward the sound slowly and cautiously.

As I neared the sound grow to an ear splitting decibel of volume for my inhuman hearing.

I turned a corner of a large building to find a fight happening between the two most unexpected groups I have ever seen. On one side a blasted court yard were eight men clad in some odd looking armor; a full body suit colored silver, with blue lines that reminded me of a computer chip, each line ran vertically across the suit with short one inch long horizontal sharp turns that turned vertical again. They wore helmets that covered their faces with a dark blue, well fitted piece of what looked to be built proof plastic like face shield. They bore large, advanced looking guns that fired blue bolts of energy. On the other side were rather ragged, rugged looking group of five people that looked like the text book commando group. They wore stained cargo pants, many wore sleeveless t-shirts, one or two wore bandanas, and one man even wore two bandoleers of ammunition. They all bore different weapons, a shot gun, two riles, a pair of pistols, and one man held a weapon just like what the men on the other side had.

I looked on not shore what to do or what was going on for that matter. One of the men in the high tech battle suit turned his head in my direction and raised his gun at me and fired. A bolt a blue energy flew out of his gun with a thundering crack as the trigger was pulled. I turned to avoid the shot but the shot was too fast for me and it grazed my shoulder sending a burst of fire like pain through my arm. I yelled out in pain and drew the attention of a woman on the other side opposite the men that fire at me.

"YOU! Get out here! This is no place for a civilian!" the women said.

Just as she finished a blot of blue flew past her head.

I glared at her then at the men in battle suit and then I charged. I ran at the Battle armored man head on, holding nothing back I launched across the court yard changing into my more wild, ferule, and animalistic shape as I want. My body ripped and changed, growing fur, becoming taller, more muscular and far more fearsome looking. My clothes turned to black smoke, enveloping my body as the change finished. I lunged out of the quickly dissipating smoke at the first man that I saw. My claws bust into black silver flames as I flew through that air like one of their bullets, but larger and furrier. I landed on the first man, planting my feet on his lower torso, pushing him to the ground hard, but not with the satisfying sound of bones shattering that I was hoping for. He hit the ground and screams in complete fear and terror of me. He raised the gun that he held at me, his hands shaking. I jumped off before he could get a shot off. I unfurled my feathery wings and flew back a few wing beats. _This is going to be harder than I thought_ I thought to myself. I turned sharply in the air, performing a barrel role pulling my wings in tight as I want. All eyes were on me now and I needed to do something before they all started playing duck hunter with me as the duck. I stopped rolling and shot forward at the same group of armored men. I veered sharply to the left and began throwing balls of black fire as I went. The armor was only blackened by the Eldritch fire which proved only to annoy me. I pulled my wings tight against my back, where they rested most of the time, and fell at the next target. I reached my claws out before me as I hate him square in the chest. He hit the ground like the last man I hit but I know what I was doing this time. As he hit the ground I pushed off of him, flipping through the air, to land right behind him, just above his head where I grabbed the armor protecting his chest and with all my might I wrenched it off o him. Much like clams, bugs and crabs after you break through the hard shell you are reworded with the soft. Squishy insides that are all too easy to shred in to mulch. That is just what I did as he clamored for his gun with his shaking hands, tying in vain to try and save his life. I cut the stomach open with ferule, beast like hate running through my mind and soul. I ripped out his organs with savage delight in my eyes, splintering open the ribs that protected his heart and lungs. I hungrily dug in to the fresh flesh the lay before me. The man still screamed in pain and horror as I gorged myself in the meat in side, His hit and pushed as hard as he could manage but it held no hope as his liver landed right beside his head. His body went limp and continued to eat until there was a loud crack and a sharp pain hit me in the shoulder. At that point I was nothing more than a really big, really hungry animal, with a really bad temper. I turned to look at the man who shot me, I bared my teeth and jumped off the body running at him. He shot again at me but I was ready. I jumped to the side, digging my front and rear claws into the wall of the building that the group of men had been set against. I continued running without even skipping a beat, but now I run at an unbelievable angle placing me at 90 degrees to the ground. The man continued shooting in a panic, hoping to hit me. I jumped at him, correcting my angle as I did so. I placed my hands on his shoulders, pushing off of him like a gymnast would. Within moments my feet were directly above my head and as this happened I moved my hands to the back of the man's head and his lower jaw, rotating my momentum I twisted sharply and snapped his neck, killing him instantly. I pushed of the body before it could hit the ground and found my next _victim_ directly in from of my path that I was heading. I was heading straight for another man but this time it was feet first and I was no longer at head level, but at waste level. I spread my legs slightly and wrapped them around the man's middle. I was at face level with him now even though I was eight feet tall in this form. I smiled at him with a big toothy grin and plunged my hands into his chest from either side of it. A gagging sound came from behind the face plate, shortly followed by as bubbling sound. I head butted the face plate, cracking it. I hit it again, and again, the third time is finally shattered in to tiny harmless bits, finally revealing the man behind the mask, or what was left to be more precise. Was still stuck to the body of the man even when it hit the ground, the hit not even fazing my eyes. Behind the face plate was a rather tough man, bold, tough, rouged features, with a square jaw. After a few seconds of looking I heard a strange whirring sound and I turned to find me staring down the barrel of a gun. I looked just above the gun and found another suited man about to pull the trigger and end my life...or so he thought. I sat there waiting and watching the man's every movement, and his posture. After a few moments I noticed some o his muscles tightening even more then they were and I saw my chance, I wiped my left leg around and knocked his feet out from under him. He hit the ground with a thump and I jumped to my feet, slamming my left leg down on both of the knees of the downed man. I turned to see who else was going to shoot me and found that the other men had run while they had the chance.

I placed one huge dog foot one the downed mans chest and then I shifted back to normal... without the horns or tale. I knelt down on top of the last man and examined the helmet, trying to tone out the screaming the man was giving off. I found five latches on the helmet that held it in place and removed the helmet to find a young man with long bright brown hair laying before me with terror on his tear filled eyes. He was only seventeen at the most. I rolled my eyes and knelt close to him and asked "Why didn't you shoot me when you had the chance?" in a hushed voice.

"Be-because I-I didn't know if you were a BIO CROP pet or not. If- If you were and I-I shot you I would be executed." The young man answered in a strained voice. I still did not understand.

"What's BIO Corp?" I asked in confutation.

This time It was then his turn to give me the confused look. "BIO Corp owns the whole U.S. and its the biggest company on earth."

Before I could ask anything else I heard a women's Voice Yell "SNIPER! LOOK OUT!" then there was a pain unlike anything I have ever felt stabbing though my left side. I fell to my right side, hitting the ground like a rag doll, darkness quickly flooded my sight and all was black.

I hoped that would have a peaceful dream that would calm me but it was quite the opposite. I had a nightmare that I had been having for three years. The first time I had it was when I was fifteen and it scared me to death.

I got up for a normal school day, and went on my normal (or more appropriately normal_ish_) routine. I got up, got dressed, graded wallet and house key, eat breakfast, brushed my teeth and hear, cleaned my wings and horns, and set off for school. I walked to school because it was only a mile down hill, and I strolled that mile as normal. I walked past The Rock which was the center my home town Castle Rock. I walked down hill and turned right onto the bike path. As I walked through the path I admired the tall, ancient trees that sang and danced in the wind of the dawn. I found my so called friends and we talked for a bit. I never had any true friends because I had three people pretend to be my friends and end up stabbing me in the back for the fun of it. Because of that I never let anyone get too close to me. I went from class to class as if it were a normal day. Math, English, History, all of the classes seemed to go by so fast I would learn nothing.

I know what you are thinking; how is this scary? If it was at least a little scary wouldn't I be naked at school? Just shut up and fallow along because here is the most horrible part.

When lunch came I sat down and eat in silence at an empty table when something cough my eye. Girl that I had been wanting to ask out for a long while, Elizabeth Kona. She was tall with long brown, shiny hair and sharp facade features. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and stood up. I walked over to the table where she sat alone. I walked right up to her and said "Hi Elizibe-!" My words were cut off sharply a pain in my chest. I clutched at my chest trying to hold the pain. My eyes stared blankly out into space as I fell to my knees. As my knees hit the floor a scream of pure pain that could not have come from a human ripped from my chest. All heads turned to look at me as I fell of my side, curled in a ball trying to not scream, not move, to not die. I began to writhe pain on the floor as people began to stand and walk over to me. Every eye in the room was on me as I thrashed and rolled uncontrollably. Elizabeth turned around in her seat and stared in horror at me. She knelt down to try and help me but it was too late. I had no control over my body now. My left hand shot up with lightning fast speed and grabbed Elizabeth's throat. She screamed and I squeezed, hard. Claws erupted forth from my fingers as I squeezed. I crushed her throat with ease. The scream stopped abruptly only to be replaced by a sound or gurgling shortly thereafter. I slowly rose to my feet and let the limp body in my hand fall to the ground. I released a thunderous roar that shook the school's very foundation. Fur grew across my body like a wild fire, my bones snapped and reformed. I changed into a beast the likes of which no one in the school had ever seen. From there I went on a rampage of hate and hunger. Killing everything that moved, destroying everything that did not. There was an unnatural amount of blood staining the walls, floor, and myself. The walls were pained from floor to ceiling in blood with no bare spots. The floor could not be seen under so much blood that I had to wade shin deep in blood.

I skipped the details to prevent me from scaring you mentally.

At some point I found that I was awake but with my eyes still closed. I heard talking, distantly at first but I grew more clear and loud as I fully woke up.

There were two voices, one was a mans, low and gruff, but the other was a women's.

"We need to get rid of him!" said the woman's voice in angered tone.

"No. He saved seven other lives as well as yours." said the man's voice in a calm, level tone.

"But _He's_ not human! _It_ is a monster, a mutant nothing more!" came the woman's voice her anger overly rising.

"Well this _monster_ is smart enough to interrogate a man and not kill him." said the man's voice, still level.

It was at this time I decided to open my eyes. I looked up at a dark gray ceiling, The two people in the room with me had not noticed me yet. One was a man of middle height and build, he wore tattered, dirty blue jeans and a black t-shirt with the arms ripped off. His face was well angled with a five o'clock shadow across his chin and neck, dozens of small scars covered his, but one huge nasty looking one that ran from the right side of his jaw to just under his right eye. He seemed fairly handsome but the most shocking things about him were his electric blue eyes and hair. The other person in the room was a beautiful girl around my age. She stood about five foot ten, with a well shaped body, Acid green eyes that seemed to glow, and spiked hair that seemed to shoot out in every direction with spikes of differing sizes and shapes, one of which that hung over her left eye was highlighted and bright chaos purple. She wore tight black jeans, with two lop sided belts that formed an X, and a black tank top with neon green lettering that read violence solves everything just ask my swords. The blue haired man looked confident and firm footed on the matter of the argument, but the girl on the other hand looked in a cross of frustration and outrage.

I thought that this would be the best time to draw their attention to me before something bad happened. I let out a grown of pain as I sat up holding my head as is I had a head injury. The girl jumped and whipped put a pair of hand guns from somewhere behind her, and aimed them at me. The blue haired man just turned to me and began walking forward.

"What happened and where am I? Wait who are you?" I asked as I had just woken up. I thought it best that these two didn't know that I had heard their fight.

"Hold on there friend, you took a sniper shot to the left side. Your organs would be past by now is you were human." The Blue haired man said to me as he came over to check the bandages around my middle. On my left side the bandages were completely socked through with blood. Turned myself around to let my legs hang over the side of my make shift bed. Which I now noticed was nothing more than a few blankets and a pillow showed into a rectangular enclave in the wall. The blue haired man pulled up in the bandages a little as he knelt down on one knee.

"You can take those bandages off know, I'm fine. And um, nice job being subtle about the whole me not being human thing, I would have never known that I was an evil mutant alien from a paralleled magic dimension." I said jokingly hoping to get off on a good foot with these people. The man smiled and then noticed that I was serious about taking off the bandages. He pulled out a knife from his boot and held it up. Upon seeing the knife I jumped to my feet on my make shift bed and flipped clear over him, landing a combat ready stance. He was going to try and gut my I was shire of it. I guessed that I should not have let the first word out of my mouth to these people be a joke. As I landed in the ready stance the girl pulled the trigger and a bullet zipped past me, cutting my eye lashes off, only to land in the wall to my left.

"That's your only warning shot freak now stand still or I will paint that will behind you a new color, brain matter." She said in a strong, cold tone.

I raised my hands slowly as she moved her aim of the gun a little closer to my head.

"Now, now Kate. Is that any way to treat a guest." said the Blue haired man as he walked over to me with no surprise on his face, as if he expected me to jump away at the sight of the knife.

As he reached me I tensed all my body, ready for an attack but it never came. He knelt down next to me and with a flick of his knife the bandages fell away from my body.

The man stood up, looked me in the eye and stretched out his hand in greeting as he said "So sorry about the rude introductions. I'm Nick, leader of this rag tag rebellion and your quick fix man. That over there" he said gesturing to the girl aiming the guns at my head "is Kate, but she hates her real name so you should call her by her call sign -"

"Krylica" She broke in.

I smiled at them both and quickly shuffled through names in my head, Finally I chose my legal name that my adoptive parents gave me.

"Nice to meet you. I have many names but you can call me Gane." I said with a confident to and smile to mach.

Nick smiled back and said "Pleased to finally meet you properly meet you Gane. Krylica saw your power of destruction and informed me. I got you here as soon as I could. At first I didn't believe what Krylica said about you not being human, and how you could fly and shoot black fire but after I got the same reports from everyone else on the field, and after seeing _you_ I believed." He said the last line looking up at my forehead and I know what he saw, a pair horns. I groaned to myself at the thought that I had been in combat the whole time and never thought to pull my horns in.

I looked at Nick for a second and let out a long sigh of aggravation of what came next. It looked like I could trust Nick since he was nice and helped me so I felt that I had to tell him the truth about me and what I am. So I told him my whole story and left nothing out. I told him about the Mutant dogs, the cave, the possessed girl and that for some reason I know how to kill her. Through the whole thing Nick did nothing but listen, he stood still for the whole time. It just felt right to tell him about everything. Krylica one the other hand, she didn't move an inch and the farther through the story the more discussed she looked. When I finished Nick leaned back on his heels and stared at me with deep thought. After a moment he finally spoke.

"That is quite a tale indeed. I understand your situation no matter how strange it is to have a man here from before the wave came. But I will catch you up on the history." he said in a low to the showed how secure he was taking this sudden chance of information.

"You have to be joking Nick! I can't believe that you are going to believe this pile of carp story." Shouted Krylica in outrage to Nick, as she lowered her gun and glared at Nick instead of me.

"I believe him Kate because he has no reason to lie to us and even if he is as you say a BIO Corp mutant, I don't think that the a short history lesson will help out enemy." Nick said to Krylica without taking his gaze from me.

"Here we go Gane. in the year 2014 a company called BIO Corp sprang up out of nowhere and began selling new weapons to the Military. at the same time the same time as this they began genetics research to help improve crop growth, lumber farms and even bring back endangered animals. BIO Corp was a big hit with the world but when there were some strange animal sightings, an increase in animal attacks, and even an increase of people missing, all in the U.S, the Government placed the whole content on lock down with some shady help form BIO Corp. As the years passed BIO Corp was expanding its specialization to more the just weapons and Genetics Research. After eight years of pure Chaos and anarchy BIO Corp managed to not only over through the government but to be the only manufacturing company in the continent. They have put every other company out of business. Over the next years the landscape went to hell and the only living creatures where the monster that roam the blasted landscape where nothing can live. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, and knows we are infected with a new kind over super virus that is highly contagious. And here we

are in the year 2052."

"Wow. And I thought at my story was huge. So this company is basically the ruler of the content, right?" I asked with some confutation still lingering in my head.

"Ya and if we rebel and over throw the Company then we are home free." Nick said with a weak smile as if he knew that he was fighting a losing battle.

I held on to the thought of a company ruling the area for a long while. My thoughts were wiped clean from my brain when I heard a door bell ring come from another room far to my left. I looked up at Nick with a look of confutation.

"This is an undercover safe house in the more poor part of the city." Nick answered my silent question and continued.

"The guards hate it here because there are mostly poor families, beggars, and door to door snake oil sales men. Just as a heads up snake oil Sales men is a term used for cheep scammers who will take your money given any chance."

"Ya I know all about snake oil sales men" I said with a smirk on my face showing that I have had run ins before with them and have beaten them at their own game.

At the second ring of the door bell Krylica quickly into the next room to no doubt answer the door and scare the soul out of the person there.

"So any idea who owns the BIO Corp Company now?" I asked Nick.

Nick Shook his head and said "No one has ever seen the company owner ever. They say that he was born, raised and still lives in the building today."

I twisted my face in thought as ideas, plans, and images filled my head. I could not imagine spending my whole life in a single building and never even seeing the outside world.

Krylica ran back into the room again but with panic on her face.

"Well it looks like you are going to meet the owner of the BIO corp. first hand, because there are two guards standing outside asking for you to come with them."

I nearly exploded with panic when I heard those words.

Nick stood up slowly in a calm manner and said plainly to Krylica "Do you think they know who we are?"

"No but I think that they suspect us." Krylica said in a tone that started of panicked and quickly boiled into fury and hate.

"That's good but we need to maintain our cover, remember we are siblings and we found Gane outside unconscious and we took him in."

Ya, Ya I know but I think that we should hand him over and be done with it." Krylica said in an annoyed tone.

Nick nodded and said

"We will hand Gane over-"

"What I can't believe this!" I cut in feeling back stabbed by Nick.

Nick glared at me and said

"As I was saying... We will turn _you _over but only because they don't seem to be here for you as a fugitive otherwise they would have kicked in the door and taken you by force. Kate, did they say anything in particular?"

Krylica grumbled to herself and said

"They said something about how he was invited by the CEO of BIO cop to have dinner."

Nick smiled in a rather nasty manner, like that of a man with a risky plan.

He turned to me and asked "Can I trust you Gane?"

I gave him a look of suspicion and replied "Ya...Why?"

"Because if you agree to meet the CEO then you can give us a description of him and a rough lay out of the building. and then thanks to you we may very well end this fight sooner than ever thought possible." Nick said, his grin growing with each word.

I didn't feel of good about this plan but I to want to see the owner of company that was trying to kill me and take over the world.

"Alright I said in a tone that was not entirely positive of my decision.

"All right it's settled then" Nick said in an exited voice and he clapped his hands together and rubbed violently.

With that both Nick and Krylica escorted me through the next room which was slightly brighter, bigger, and just as empty as the last. From there I was practically shoved in front of a big front door that was made of what looked to be solid metal. Krylica opened the door to revile two men just like the one that I fought in the court yard. They were both covered in the same battle armor and holding the same guns but in the attention position. Krylica was still out of the guards sight at that time so she pulled the front of her shirt down a little more so that more skin was being shown. She stepped into the door way and said "Ho thank you for waiting so long, we were having problems helping him up since he's hurt and all. I hope you take good care of him because he's not from this city at all." She said it in a really, really thick southern accent that made her sound like a hillbilly.

"Thank you mama, we will take him from here. Have a nice day." one of the guards said his voice natural and void of all emotion. His voice sounded to be coming from a speaker behind the face plate and for a moment I wondered if they were robots. But after a moment of thought I decided it to be a false accusation.

"Sir if you would come with us, we will escort you to the Company head." said the same guard.

I stepped forward and nodded to them both in turn and said "alright, shall we be on our way?"

With that I left the safety of the safe house to find a new world. Outside was nothing like I had expected. Unlike the Tale seemingly god like buildings that I had seen when I first entered the city seemed to be nothing more than a distant dream. The buildings were all one to two stories tall, poorly kept and very tight fit together. The street looked almost exactly like a reissuance market place. The street was thickly crowded, and overflowing with the sounds of venders shouting out their wares, people bickering, bargaining, and bartering. The street with thick with the scents of cooking food both familiar and furan to me. All of my senses were completely overwhelmed; it felt much like having a white hot jack hammer shoved up your nose and through your ears.

The guards stood on either side of me at all times, shoving people out of the way yelling for the crowds to split like the red sea.

We walked for a long while, no one talking and I found that rather annoying because It only increased the tension. After about two hours we reached a huge wall much like the one encircling the city from the outside except this one was smaller, had not clay covering it and fewer guns. We stopped five feet from the door and stood there for a second before one of the guards walked up to the wall bust left of the door were I noticed a key pad was placed.

The guard dialed a few numbers, then a palm scanner pushed out form the wall next to the key pad. The Guard placed his gloved hand on the scanner after a short moment he lowered his hand and reached for his utility belt where he pulled out what looked to be a flash drive. Upon closer inspection I noticed that it was a very small and think key card. He placed it in the wall just above the palm scanner and then the doors opened.

Past the wall and doors was a new part of the city. It looked to be more normal, it looked like a suburban community with two story houses, laws, cars and stores. Here it was much cleaner then the last part of the city.

We kept walking, not stopping or slowing until we met anther wall, just like the last one there was a key pad and a palm scanner and the guard used the flash drive key card but this time when the doors opened they opened to show a large room as big as a house and twice as long, with a conveyor belt. The guard at my side tapped me sharply on the back the butt of his gun, telling me to move forward. I stumbled forward into the room. I stepped on the belt that slowly carried me across. The two guards stepped on behind me and stood a attention. The door closed behind us and all was black. suddenly a translucent wall of green light appeared in front of me. It flew past me and I felt nothing, then it came back and with it reach the point where it had first come to life it vanished. After that a wall of red just like the green one came into creation and flew over me and back again, this time I felt heat as it passed over me as well as a tingling sensation all across me body. Then the wall was gone a feminine voice came out of nowhere and said

"Scanning presses complete, now commencing with sterilization sequence."

I blue grid of intercrossing lines manifested its self in front of me and this time as it went over me I felt like I had just liked an electric power generator. I thrashed wildly in pain as the electrical current seemed to burn off the first layer of skin. As soon as the grid vanished a pair of doors opened up just ahead of me to left sun light flood in to dance across my skin.

The world just past those walls was unlike anything I have ever seen. It looked to be a place form a Sifi book. Tall buildings that looked to be had of crystal and formed naturally form the earth erupted in tall pillars of majesty. Cars hovered at varying heights above the ground. These cars also looked sleeker and arrow dynamic. I stared admiringly at these marvels for only a moment before I was pushed to the ground by the muzzle of a gun. I pulled myself back up from the ground continued walking.

From there the Guards gave me only more trouble, pushing me over, hitting me across the head and ribs, tripping me, an even kicking me. I put up with it so not to break my cover but finally I snapped.

Then I was walking I felt a metal garbed foot hit me hard in the back of the knee, I fell to the ground and then I tried to get back up I found another metal clad foot hitting my ribs at velocity. After the second kick I grabbed the foot that was kicking me and I pulled it and it owner to the ground, hard. As that guard hit the ground I jumped up and planted my foot on his chest, hard. After that I found the barrel of a gun pointed at my ear and a rather nasty voice say

"We would not want there to be a tragic weapons malfunction now would we?" I raised my hands slowly and removed my foot from the other guards chest just as slow.

"No" I said though clenched teeth

"But do you even know what I can do?" I asked as the other guard stood up wheezing.

"No But I do know that you are not plasma proof now MOVE!" said the guard pointing his gun at me.

I grumbled and began walking only to find the knee of the guard that I put on the floors slammed into my chest.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Twin Blades and a Dark secret in the basement

I was dragged that rest of the way to the building after one of the guards knocked me out  
>with the butt of his gun. The guards decided to wake me up in the nicest way<br>possible, with a _few_ kicks to the  
>groin. On the first hit my eyes shot open on the impact and then I closed them<br>tight again in pain. On the second hit I shot up into the sitting position,  
>quickly curling up into a ball of pain as I fell onto my right side hold my<br>groin in pain. Tears filled my eyes as I tried to not think about the pain.

After a few moments the pain began to subside and I loosened my grip on my knees a little.  
>The moment the guards noticed this they each pulled me up to my feet and<br>dragged me about ten paces before I finally stood on my own feet with no _help_ from the guards.

In front of me a huge monster of a building stood. It was at least one hundred stories tall in  
>a shape that made it look like a giant crystal naturally formed from the earth<br>to tower over all in its shadow. In front of this building stood a nightmare of  
>a man. He stood eight feet tall, absurdly well muscled, with gray hair cut in a<br>military fashion, He wore pixilated camouflage cargo pants and a sleeveless  
>pixel cameo muscle shirt. He was armed with what looked to be six grenades, two<br>fifty caliber pistols and more knives then I could count, all of these weapons  
>were holstered and held in plain sight. As I was shoved closer I noticed three<br>huge scars that ran from his left temple to his left lower jaw. He stood in front  
>of the BIO corp building with his arms crossed looking rather displeased.<p>

"So this is the fresh meat the boss was thinking of sending my way, this is  
>pathetic." The monster of a man said in a deep voice that held more than a<br>hint of disgust, his thin lips turned into a violent sneer.

"This maggot is a runt, nothing but bone on those toothpicks that he calls arms. I don't  
>know what the boss sees in you slim-Jim, but if you fall into my hands you will<br>be thrown to the wood chipper, then the meat grinder."

He said spiting in my face with every word. With each word he said I reflexively  
>blinked and recoiled a little.<p>

With each of his words he moved forward a step until he was almost touching his nose to  
>mine. Every muscle in his neck was tightened and flexed to what looked to be<br>their limit.

I looked him dead in the eye, keeping my eyes empty of emotion, my voice neutral and trying to stop  
>my legs from vibrating I said "Could you please show me to the CEO of this<br>company, I am expected to be here for dinner shortly."

Despite my calm voice and empty eyes I was scared out of my skin. There was something  
>about this man that seemed to resonate fear, and it made me want to curl up<br>into a ball in die somewhere in the shadow where this man could never see me.

He stood back up straight, sneered at me, stepped to the side, and pointed to the doors.

"The boss is in the front lobby waiting for you now." He said in a voice that showed  
>how much he wanted to dismember me.<p>

After half a moment one of the guards stabbed me in the back with the muzzle of his gun pushing  
>me forward onto my knees again. I pulled myself back to my feet again and<br>continues to walk forward.

As I approached the front doors I noted that they were glass. When I was five feet  
>from the doors they slid open to either side of the front. As I entered there<br>was a pair of huge oak doors that looked almost too heavy for a normal man to  
>open but as I approached these doors they slide as one piece downward. Behind<br>the doors was a huge room with a low ceiling, the floor was black marble, the  
>ceiling was a black, stone like material that reflected light. The walls were<br>made of shadowed glass that was so dark you could only make out a dull out  
>line of someone just on the other side. Two donut shaped desks were placed on<br>either side of the doors were guards would normally be sitting but they were  
>empty, in fact the whole room was dead empty aside from one person. It was a woman. She stood alone in the room<br>wearing a very expensive, black dress suit with a red tie, and dark gray dress  
>shirt. Long hair draped over her shoulders, she was of average height for a<br>women, with tight, sharp facial fetchers, and long black, silk like hair that  
>held s dyed red streak through middle but slightly to the left. She smiled at<br>me warmly as I walked in. I looked around the room again as I continued to walk  
>toward her.<p>

"Am I in the right place? I was invited to dinner at the DIO Corp office." I asked  
>to break the seemingly sharp silence. But that failed.<p>

There was a long moment of acquired silence before the woman finally spoke.

"Ho! was that a joke?" she asked suddenly with a look of surprise scrolled across  
>her face as if she had not heard a joke before.<p>

"Ya, Sorry if I startled you." I said in an honest tone.

She nodded in acknowledgment and said "No worry, I just have not had someone speak to me  
>like that before. Most of my employees are scared stiff around me."<p>

I must have looked startled because she hurried along in to the introductions.

"You may call me Red. I am the owner and CEO of BIO corp., the most powerful company in  
>the world. And you are?" She said the first and second sentences with a<br>dramatic flash of excitement, while the last held a tone curiosity.

With that question my mind flooded with panic.

What should I do? Should I run, fight what! The weight of the moment slammed into me like a  
>can of cat food shot out of a rail gun at my face.<p>

I had second to act. I could not tell her my real name and If I gave her my real name she  
>could use it to look up my history and information to find that I should be<br>dead. Finally my mind set on my old nickname that I got in school for my  
>ferocity and skill with tactics.<p>

"Wolf, call me Wolf."

She nodded again.

"Wolf." She said, trying it out for feel like someone trying one a new pair of gloves.

"Well it's very nice to meet you and sorry about the escort, they like to assert their  
>control over everyone in a more...physical manner then I would prefer."<br>Red said in a manner that showed her annoyance with the Guards.

"Its fine, a little pain never hurt me, please forgive the pun." I said with a  
>smile.<p>

Red looked me up and down as if looking at me for the first time as she said "Thank you  
>for being so relaxed with me, most people are scared that I might fire them if<br>they aren't standing straight and being perfectly tense. But besides that I  
>would like to invite you to my office for a word." She said the last line<br>in a manner that sounded wrong to my ears and my animal senses were warning me  
>that there was something amiss about this woman.<p>

"Sure." I said in as calm of a tone as I could manage.

I decided that I would have to stay on my toes around this woman or it might cost me my life.

"Good, now then lets head up there and I would like to talk to you about your future."  
>Red said with a smile that showed kindness and excitement but I couldn't help but feel deep down that that smile hide something dark and sinister.<p>

"Now fallow me to the Grav Lift. You are one of the lucky few to be allowed to use it. Everyone else is required to use the elevator" She continued as she turned and walked of the  
>left wall. I fallowed her wearily but fallowed her none the less. As I drew closer I noticed a set of five strange metal, circular man holes, each were made up of three thirds that looked as if they were meant to open. As Red stepped on one a round metal, silvery cylinder rose up out of the ground in a slow and dramatic manner. The top of the cylinder was slanted toward Red and had a key pad on it that looked to be a hologram of green circles that held green numbers like that on a phone over a black shining surface.<p>

Red looked at me, waiting for me to step on the Grav Lift next to her. After a moment of  
>hesitation I stepped onto the metal circle next to her. And as for her a key<br>pad dramatically rose up out of the ground where is seemed hidden.

"My office is the hundredth floor, don't worry about dialing in the safety code I  
>bay past it for today. Just pad in the floor number and we'll be off."<p>

I looked from  
>Red to the key pad and began pressing the keys. As I had first thought the<br>numbers were digital and my finger passed right through it but as my finger  
>touched the hologram number 1 it turned from green to red. When I looked back<br>over at Red I found her already pressing enter. Immediately after she pressed  
>enter the ceiling above her twisted open and her flew upward having the ceiling<br>close just behind her.

I looked back down at my key pad and pressed 0 twice, as soon as my finger pressed the number  
>the second time all of the numbers that I had pressed turned from red to blue<br>and an enter key popped into the space just under the numbers. I looked at this  
>new button for a long moment not positive weather I should press it or not.<p>

Red was gone, I could have just turned and walk out of, why should I help Nick, he put me in this mess  
>after all, I thought to myself. I looked at the key pad unblinking for half a<br>second before I realized why Nick had practically launched me out the door in  
>to the hands of the guards. Because he knew that I was not human due to the<br>horns and my telling him so and also because he was scared, not for himself  
>but for everyone else and I was the possible key to getting everything right in<br>his eyes. I thought back to when I was being led though the city but this time  
>I thought back to the faces of the people and I notice that they all had a look<br>of fear, anger, and hate when they looked over at the guards. They needed hope  
>and Nick must have been that hope for some time but now the people knew that<br>Nick was fighting a losing battle. I needed to be that new sign of hope. I did  
>not know these people or this city or even this new world but I knew that I<br>need to be a super hero of the children and an American hero of any on who did  
>not believe in super heroes. I needed to be a hero, I had to be a hero. My<br>chest swelled with pride and a feeling of greatness and I raised my hand high  
>above my head and slapped it down of the enter key with now second thought.<p>

I would learn to regret that choice and hate that stupid button.

Just as for Red the moment my fingers touched that button the ceiling twisted open into a  
>perfect circular hole. I suddenly felt lighter then I felt like I was turned<br>upside down, the blood began to rush to by head, then I felt like I was falling  
>head first. I looked up to see that I was flying head first through a long<br>straight tube, the floors/ceilings twisting open in front of me. After a moment  
>I relaxed after I realized that I was fine for the moment but then I noticed<br>that the floor/ceiling in front of me was not twisting open. I began to panic  
>again thinking that I was going to hit it and get turned to pasty mush. I<br>brought my arms over my head trying to shield it from the impact, I squeezed my  
>eyes shut, steeling myself for the impact. But it never came. I opened my eyes<br>to see Red standing in front of me with a smile of utter amusement plastered  
>across her face. I was floating a foot of the floor while I was curled up with<br>my legs at my chest. I slowly lowered my legs to the floor and the moment I  
>touched it all my weight came back.<p>

The room was brightly lit from a wall made of windows and so large it took up the entire 100th floor.  
>The Floor was carpeted in thick white, furry, carpeting.<p>

"You're not from around here are you?" she asked as she turned her back to me to  
>walk to a huge red wood desk.<p>

"No I just came here" I said in a distant tone as I looked around the room in  
>wonder. The walls were covered in paintings from around the world from only the<br>most famous of painters, Vango's Starry Night was among them.

"That is a very risky thing to travel between cities alone. Did you come from the city  
>of Glory?" she asked as she turned back to face me and sit on the front of<br>her desk.

"Ya I came from Glory." I said with confidence.

This was going to be easier than I thought, she is giving me my answer and doesn't even know  
>it, I thought.<p>

"This place is incredible, how did you get these paintings?" I asked in genuine  
>curiosity.<p>

"After the country fell into chaos and I held my company together by sheer force of will I noticed that many of the art  
>galleries were selling their art for money, supplies and weapons, I just...<br>Provided them with the items they needed."

I raised an eye brow at this but I did not question her any farther.

Red looked at me for a long while before she spoke again.

"I'm guessing that you heard from someone  
>that I am dictating this land with an Iron fist for my own gain" she said<br>in tone of worry and almost what sounded like sorrow. I felt almost pity for  
>her but something didn't feel right.<p>

"Ya I heard it on the street when I first walked in." I said straight but with  
>more than a little distaste at the words.<p>

"I am trying to make this a country for the people like it was before but so far the  
>people can't make the choices without either not think it through, being at<br>each others throats, or just making the wrong decisions. What I have done is  
>give the people not only salvation from the monsters outside but from the<br>monsters within themselves. I have given them all good paying jobs that works  
>toward the skill set of each individual. Each job pays the same, enough for<br>them to buy food, electricity, transport, water, heat, and enough left over for  
>them to buy something nice every month. They don't have to make decisions about<br>what to vote for so that there is less fighting, there is no more price  
>competitions between companies, no more scams with poor products because I<br>provide all items both needed and wanted that are of good quality and with good  
>warranty. The People hate me because I can't trust them to make the decisions<br>with the mindset they're in."

I looked at her for a long moment, thinking on what she had just said, and it seemed true  
>maybe Nick was the villain after all.<p>

"Ok and I'm guessing that the terrorist group isn't helping your efforts." I said  
>walking up to the desk.<p>

"Quite the contrary, they are stepping in as heroes for the people and are giving them  
>hope of them running their own country." Red said with a tone that seemed<br>as if she was spiting acid and poison with each word spoken. As soon as I was  
>this the hairs on the back of my neck rose and I knew she was hiding something.<p>

I was about to speak when the light of the setting sun reflected off of something off to my  
>left and I turned I find a dream.<p>

To my left the most incredible cot of arms hung on the wall. A classic medieval shield shaped  
>like an arrow head made of pure silver hung there. On the shield center was a<br>lion head that seemed the be jumping out with its mighty maw open, around the  
>head snakes slithered outward to the edges of the shield like the rays of the<br>sun. The shield looked nice, don't get me wrong but what really caught my eye  
>but the crossed blades just under it. The blades were beautifully shaped and breathe<br>taking. They looked to be scimitars but with a partly forked tip, the blades  
>were each five feet tall, bladed on one side, the non bladed side was<br>intricetly carved with runes and symbols The blade started at the point curved  
>outward as the blade descended then pulled back in fallowed by slowly angling<br>back outward until it reached the handle which was wrapped in tattered, well  
>worn, yellowed clothe that made an overlapping pattern that looked like the<br>handle patter on Samurai Katana.

Red looked at me for a while before she noticed what caught my eye and tongue and a smile  
>crept across her face.<p>

"That is a crest of one of the greatest worriers ever and his name and legends have been  
>lost in time for an eternity. The swords were given to me as a gift from my...<br>business partners that work at the church five miles west of the City. The  
>blades are relics of a time long past and they seem to stand outside of time.<br>And I would like for you to have them." She said the last line held a note  
>of kindness. My head snapped back to face here, my eyes wide with startled<br>amazement.

"Why would you give these priceless weapons to a man you hardly know?" I ask in  
>confutation and excitement. She walked over to her desk and pulled something<br>out from under the desk.

"Think of it as a gift for the proposition I have to make for you and besides my _friends_ are going to make me a new pair.  
>She said as she tossed what looked to be stripe of leather at me. I caught the<br>things in mid air and looked at them; they were sheaths for the blades. I  
>slipped the sheaths on and stepped up to the swords, placed both hands on the<br>hilt of one and gave it a great heave. With the heave I almost fall flat on my  
>ass. The sword was as light as a dagger and I could easily hold it in one hand.<br>I corrected my balance and began to play with it, doing figure eights, slashes  
>and stabs at invisible enemies that only I could see in my mind's eye. I felt<br>like a kid again, portending to be a knight, barbarian, ninja, or a super hero.  
>That is until I slices a painting in half with one miss calculated slicing<br>sweep, then I noticed that I not lonely destroyed a timeless painting of the  
>night sky but I also cut a one foot deep and half inch wide gash in the wall. I<br>looked back at Red with a face red with embarrassment. She only shrugged and  
>gestured to the other blade. I stepped over and picked it up with ease. I<br>suddenly had a flash back of me in my martial arts studies, learning about my  
>natural skill with double the ascrama, a<br>two and a half foot stick of wood that could be used in sets of one or two. I  
>had a natural skill with double weapons and swords held no exception for me. I<br>was known as Graceful Devastation because I could fend off any attack and make  
>it look like an easy dance.<p>

"I have quite a bit to tell you but I'm sure that you can understand what I am about to  
>say since you killed the possessed girl with ease, aside from you getting<br>impaled of cores." Red said in a matter of fact voice as she strolled up  
>to be and began walking around me as if I was a statue make my an artist.<p>

I froze solid the moment she spoke of the possessed girl.

"How do you know about that?" The question came from my mouth in almost a strained  
>whisper that showed just how scared I was at that moment.<p>

She continued walking around me and placed her fingers on my back. She continued around until her fingers were on my chest when she spoke

"It took five men just to lift one of these blades and six more to put it on the wall.  
>every ne was baffled on why the blades were so heavy, the scans said that the<br>blades were made of Iron and silver and should not have weighed that much. And  
>you, just look at you, you picked it up with no effort at all. Ho and to answer<br>your question, Banshee Project 001 was one of my failed experiments and I always keep an eye on them. You see Wolf I have been trying to create a...  
>subject that shows the populace my power and to what end I will protect them.<br>And I have had help with this endeavor from the partners at the church. They  
>have way so making creatures from myth come to life. Some like my partners call<br>it magic and sorcery but others call the manipulation of energy to alter matter and genetic. Me, I don't know what to call it, all that I know is that is works. I also know that  
>we set up a firing line to kill that thing and after being hit by bullets,<br>plasma, bombs and fire, she only healed at an unthinkable rate then killed sixty-three  
>Guards and eighteen scientists. And were we failed you alone succeeded by stabbing<br>her with a fucking bone. Red said her tone slowly turning from calm to annoyed,  
>to hateful.<p>

"You see Wolf this new energy that my partners can work with is new, its only just  
>appeared in small amounts over the last ten years and where this spots come into<br>existence monsters start spilling out of that area for a day or two. If we are  
>unlucky then the area disappears entirely leaving no trace. Whatever it is, its powerful<br>and I want it. But until then I have you. I would like two things from you  
>Wolf, a sample of you DNA and... your real name. HELL I'll even tell you my<br>real name. My legal name is Sophia but my real name is Lilith." she said  
>her real name with almost a hiss.<p>

She pressed her body up against mine. I sheathed my swords across my back and looked at  
>her.<p>

"My legal name is Gane and my real name is... none of your business and as for that DNA  
>sample you can have it...when you take it from my cold dead body!" With the<br>last line placed my hands on her shoulders and shoved her away. She stumbled  
>back then regained her footing she let loose a smile that sent a chill through<br>my bones. She jumped into the air and flipped backwards to land behind her  
>desk, leaning on it legs crossed on while she stood. At that moment I knew she<br>was not human. For a split second my inhuman ears heard a strange click,  
>click, click and I noticed a classic desk decoration, the one that everyone<br>knows with the metal balls that swing back and forth transferring momentum from  
>one through the others to the last one which would do the same. But this one<br>was off. It only had three metal balls and the ones on either end were half  
>length higher than the middle one. I looked at it in confutation and had only<br>just noticed it when Red, I mean Lilith said "I had hoped you would say that."

I looked up at her just in time to hear her click a button just under the rim of the desk.  
>There was the click and in response the floor under me twisted open and I fell.<br>I tried to open my wings but the tunnel was too small, my hands turned to claws  
>and I tried to grab the walls. My claws bit deep into the metal on either side<br>of me but it didn't stop my fall, I only left five deep gashes in the walling  
>of the tunnel on either side. She must have reversed the gravity that brought<br>me up to her office I thought and I knew it was true. Instead of having low  
>gravity under and high gravity above she switched it so that I was going to<br>fall faster than normal and knowing her she probably turned off that gravity  
>thing that stopped me from going through the ceiling. So now I was going to be<br>a grease stain on the floor when I hit the bottom.

I looked out to either side of me as I fell, looking for something, anything that would stop  
>my fall but there was nothing only the sight of office floors flying by through<br>clear metal. I would have thought that cool and odd but at the time I was busy  
>both cursing under my breath and above it.<p>

I looked down just in time to see that there were no more openings for me to fall through and  
>that there was only a nice hard, solid floor coming up fast the last thing I<br>said before the floor greeted me with a hard thwack was "Ho...this is gona  
>hurt."<p>

When I came to I found once more that my head was pounding and I hoped that this was all just  
>a very bad dream but the feeling of cold, smooth stone under me and the loud<br>whirring and humming of machines told me otherwise. I found that was lying face  
>down of the floor and when I opened my eyes I found that I was not in the lobby<br>where I had first met Lilith. But instead I was a large room of bright grey  
>walls and floor with a low ceiling. The walls looked to be made of some kind of<br>metal and looked nigh impossible to even scratch. In the room were strange  
>glass cylinders that were clamped to the ceiling and floor. Each one contained<br>a strange green fluid that gave the room a green tint. These cylinders were  
>spaced six and a half feet apart and filled the entire room which looked to be<br>a thousand feet by a thousand feet.

"Good, it's nice to see your awake, I think you should have a chance to fight what's  
>going to kill you before you discover that there is no hope for you." came<br>the voice of Lilith from all around me. I pulled myself up on to my hands and  
>knees then I raised to my feet. I looked around a noticed that there were<br>speakers and cameras in each corner.

"Looking for some live TV?" I shouted, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Well I do think it will be every entertaining to watch you become a bloody stain at the hands  
>of my pets." can her voice again.<p>

"It's been swell dealing with you but now I want for you to meet some of my friends,  
>I call them Canine-sapiens." She said with a note of excitement in her<br>voice. Before I could do anything the glass of the cylinders began to crack as  
>something in each one hit the outer shell. The glass of each one gave way one by one in mere<br>moments. What fell out of each glass prison was the same. The creatures were  
>all bald, and looked to be malnourished. They looked like starved men crossed with<br>rabid wolves. Wolf like legs held each one up, they had the torso and arms of a  
>man but each hand was tipped with menacing looking claws, with a wolfs head<br>perched atop the shoulders. It hunched over until its ape like long skinny arms  
>nearly brushed the ground. They kept their arms bent with their elbows close to<br>their sunken ribs. Their skin was white and gleamed with the fluid of the  
>stases cells and was so thin you could see their purple blue veins stretch<br>across their body. They were Werewolves or more appropriately werewolf knock  
>offs.<p>

"These are my newest creation, take human DNA splice it with a little Ape and then  
>even out the Human with some wolf genetics. I altered their brain chemistry so<br>that they are in a sense born rabid. Ho and I kicked up there metabolism so that they are always in dire need of food in this case, you." Lilith said with a little too much humor, and joy in her voice for my liking.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter7: The Beast within

The Monsters looked at me with madness and insatiable hunger. It looked like I was going to be the main cores for the day if I didn't do something fast. I unsheathed my swords, set my feet in a combat ready stance and let them come to me.

After I moved there was no hesitation on the attack. The nearest one lunged at me, claws out stretched, looking for flesh to rend. I spewed my blades in a defensive pattern: Right hand brought to left should, left blade brought from right to left in horizontal strike, left brought back into ready while right angle slices across, Right brought back to left armpit while left strikes vertically downward. In the blink of an eye the beasts head was ion four sections and his body was missing a whole third. And at the scent and sight of their comrades' blood the others fell into a ferule frenzy, and all Hell broke loose. The beasts nearest to the body began to eat it without hesitation. I ran toward them and jumped, flipping at the last second and sweeping my blades while I was upside down decapitating them all with one sweep. I opened y wings just before I hit ground and with one mighty flap I pushed myself backwards, hitting the floor first, and sliding back against the wall. I angled my wings a little forward and pushed off the wall with all my might. I ran at full speed toward the thickening swarm of monsters. I flipped the blades in my hands around in to a reverse grip so the blade tips faced the floor. When I reach the first beasts I flicked my blades inward and sent their entrails spilling across the floor. After that I jumped into the air gliding to the other side of the room. Because of the low ceiling I was in easy range of a quick jump and I saw that there were too many to cut down with swords so I sheathed them. I had just enough time to sheath them before one of the mindless jumped up and garbed my left foot. I dragged me down into the swarming horde of hunger. I hit the ground hard and had to role forward to avoid being clawed. I lit my hands ablaze with black and silver flames. I formed a pair of hick heavy metal spiked gauntlets as I taught myself to do when I was fifteen. I jumped up off the ground hitting a wolf that got too close in the lower jaw with an upper cut. Its jaw fell form is head to land, smoldering on the ground. I jawless wolf just glared at me and tried to rip my face off. I dropped back down to the ground before the strike could land. From there on the ground I whipped my right leg around across the floor in a leg sweep. I pushed myself up from that position into a hand stand. I pushed of the ground and into the air. I altered my momentum, stretched my legs out in to the splits and rolled forward in the air. I reached my hands out and could a wolf's shoulders as I reached its head level. I pulled myself over this wolf and landed my legs on the shoulders of one right behind him. I pulled the wolf that I had on hand over my head as hard as I could and sent him flying. From there I placed one hand on the back of the head of the wolf I sat on and the other hand on the side of its jaw, and with one quick twist I snapped its neck. I flipped forward, pushing the wolf's body hard with both legs as I rolled through the air. The body flew backwards, knocking down any unlucky wolf in its path. I hit the ground and rolled. I found myself laying flat on my back between the legs of a rather anger looking wolf. I snarled down at me and swiped at me. I rolled to the right, just barely missing the claws that left gashes in the metal flooring. I launched my legs up into the air, using the momentum to pull the rest of me up into a standing position; many people know this move as a Kip up. As I landed on my feet I used an old trick I learned to cross my current eldritch magic with one that I once had. Two globs of black and purple energy manifested in my hands from black and purple smoke. Each with was alive with the black and purple colors that swirled and twisted, fading from one color to the other, in differing brightness and tone. I throw one into the thick crowd of snarling, bickering wolf like monstrosities. It exploded just above the beasts' heads, covering them all in a thick purple and black glue like substance that clung to them. Howls of pain filled the air, smoke began to waft up from the group and the scent of burning flesh grew so thick in the air that I could taste it. I held the other globe in my hands; I began to shape it like one would shape clay. I a matter of moments I held two whips that seemed to have grown out of my wrist on the palm side of my hand. Each looked to have the same color effect as the globes they were made from.

I had only slowed down part of the massing pack and now that

I found myself pressed up against a wall I could finally see the size of the group of mindless monsters. I pressed my back against the wall and waited for the first to lung at me.

The crowd grew and formed a half circle around me. The growled, barked and snapped at each other as much as at me.

Suddenly there was a roar that shook the room, literally. It was a roar that showed power, dominance, rage, and most of all hunger. All the wolves cringed at the sound and several turned tale and ran. All of their ears flattened backwards, they all dropped to all fours and lowered their heads. A path appeared in front of me as wolves stepped back to left a nightmare pass through. A beast that looked to be more monster then human, and for bear then wolf. Unlike that others this creature had very short dark gray fur, it stood ten feet tall, its forearms had no skin but instead looked to be covered in thick bone like flesh. The back of its neck looked to have almost armor like layer look much like a knights shoulder plate, thou this plating was covered by skin and fur. On each hand, just like the forearm had no skin for fur, but the last joint of each of the six fingers on each hand were four inch long claws. Most odd of all was that the broad shouldered beast wore cargo shorts that covered its lower half to the first knee joint. The creature stomped forward, closer and closer to me. The ground shook with each step. When a smaller wolf fell in front of it, the beast didn't even looked down when he stepped in the wolfs head, crushing it like a grape. it stopped in the middle of the path, turned to a wolf the was slightly higher than the rest, his glowing yellow eyes fixed on the wolf, then it wrapped its huge six fingered claw around its neck, picked it up and bit its head off as if it were eating a strawberry. After that the creature tossed its head to the side and spat out the blood remnants of the decapitated head in to the crowd, He took the headless body in both hands and tor it in half as thou it were nothing more than mist. The internals hit the floor with a wet, squishy sound, but surprisingly no wolf made a grab for it, not a wolf even looked at it. The huge creature was obviously the pack leader and that meant that he was the strongest.

"This is my favorite pet project." came Lilith's voice.

"As you can tell he's not like the others because he's more bear then wolf as it is. Now play nice with him and try not to die too quick cus he loves to play with his food and I love to watch." Lilith continued in a voice that made her sound like a mother speaking to her child. All the wolves backed away, giving enough space for a fight. So I didn't have to worry about them for the moment being.

The huge monster lumbered forward into the clearing, his movements seemed very slow. Perhaps he's so slow because of his size, maybe I can use that against him I thought to myself.

Before he could move any closer I lashed out at him with my right whip. It flew with blinding speed and struck home. The strike snapped his head to the left and the whip left a long mark across his sought. Blood boiled up from the wound and began to run down his jaw and neck while smoke wafted upwards. He slowly turned his head back to face me, the glow in his eyes intensified, and I could see intelligent in the eyes. A deep growl rolled forth from his throat that shook the room. He stepped forward again and again. I lashed out with each of his steps but he blocked each of them with his forearm which seemed to be unharmed by my many strikes. I could feel my energy draining with each attack and I knew that I couldn't keep it up much longer. In one last effort I changed my tactics and aimed for his legs instead of his chest and head. I lashed out one last time, the monster was caught off guard and I managed to wrap my whips of eldritch energy around his legs. Then with a mighty pull I managed to rip his feet out from under him and send him sprawling onto his back. This was my moment to finish the fight before I got pounded into gravy. I leapt forward, launching myself through the air, at the monstrosity. Just as I was about to land on him, he pull both of his legs to his chest, and kicked out with both impacting my chest when I was a mere two feet from touching him. I was launched upwards faster than I had jumped. I slammed into the scaling, denting the metal before I bounced off the ground, only to meet its hard embrace once again as I fell like a rag doll some child had tossed aside. My back ached but my chest felt as though a grenade had been placed inside. I rolled onto my back groaning in pain, everything felt distant, aside from the pain. My eyes were clenched shut from the pain but I heard the distant sound of heavy footsteps. I opened my eyes to see a big furry nightmare standing above me, with hatred glowing in its small eyes. I raised a fist and my eyes shot wide open. I rolled to the side just in time to avoid a fist that punched a dent into the metal floor were my head had been a moment before. Before it removed its fist from the floor, it's swiped at me with its other hand. Its claws barley grazed me across the cheek but it felt different from any other scratch I had ever gotten. I felt the blood running down my cheek, hot and thick.

Deep within something snapped, much like a cage being torn open by an animal within it. I felt power like I have never felt before, power that feels hot within my veins, and strong in my hands. My vision was clouded by a blood red tint over everything I could see. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, from the movements of the wolves, for the breathing of the beast before me. Before I knew it I was changing into my wolf form. Bones snapped a realigned, tendons stretched and snapped only to reform, muscles tor and grew. I stood at my full height but I was still only at the monstrous beasts upped chest. I stood tall, furry, black with silver tribal marks, tail, horns, wings and all but there was something more. I was not me I was something less and something more. Part of me was missing and something took its place. I was filled with hunger and anger, a rage of which I have never known. It was the hate and fury of a maddened, mindless beast. It felt good, so good, the power was incredible.

I snarled at the beast before me. It slowly turned to face me. It tried to swipe at me, but I stepped back a foot, let the strike pass before I threw one of my own. It struck him across the face, raking the flesh away, reviling the bone beep under the thick hide and flesh above. The beast drew back in pain and surprise but I pressed on, throwing another strike at the monsters chest. It struck deep, tarring away flesh and letting blood flow like a thick fountain of red, gushing forth. I struck again and again, each strike dealing more damage than the last. By the end it had bone showing in nine different locations, and was bleeding from countless others. Its left arm was broken from an attempted strike that I turned into an arm bar before breaking it over my knee. Now the once fearsome and mighty creature lay huddled in a corner, trying to get as far away from me as possible. I strode forward, a smirk on my bestial face. The vile thing that cringed before me had fear written not only on its face but in its eyes as well. I was doing a favor to the world by removing this hateful pest, I thought.

"And now the fun begins." I said in a gruff tone that showed my pleasure at the task to come.

I planted my right foot on its chest in a kick but left it there as I grabbed its wrist and gave a mighty yank. There was a sickening pop fallowed by the sound of flesh ripping. With a final heave I pulled the arm from the screeching monster. I held the dismembered limb in both hands like a club, and began to beat its owner with it, holding nothing back.

I dropped the limb to the floor, seeing as I didn't need it any more. The creature was still partly conches, so out of the "love" of my heart I knelt down on one knee before it, looked beep into its bruised and swollen eyes to see the recognition that it know it was me. After a few seconds I finally did the deed. I ripped out its throat with my bear hands and eat it before the dying abomination. Its blood felt warm in my mouth and tasted good, really good. I wanted more, I needed more. I turned to the crowd of mangy wolves, seeing them as sheep. Justice must be served, I thought to myself. I lunged out, with claw and fang, killing with ever strike and blow, my fur was painted red and I was in a frenzied berserker state of rage.

Thirty-three were dead in moments and just as I was about to kill one more green gas filled the groom from vents on the floor, walls and scaling. The gas was thick and heavy live a low rolling fog but by the time the gas level reached my thighs I was feeling tired and dizzy. I fell to my knees before slamming my head on the ground.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Predator and prey, which is which

When I came into consciousness again the first thing that struck me was that my head hurt...again. My mind and thoughts were still thick and foggy from the gas. When I opened my eyes I found that I strapped down to a flat metal table that was elevated and angled so that I was almost standing up straight. I was held down by metal link straps that held fast across my wrists, elbows, ankles knees, chest, waist, and neck. I tugged, yanked and strained against the straps but it was no use.

I looked around the Room for something I could use some how to get me out of here. The room was a small square with white walls, a white stone floor, and no windows. In the room there was a table that held tools that looked to be of surgical use, many I knew like the eight different sizes of scalpels but others looked strange, bizarre and just plain out alien. A medical freezer stood against the wall to my right, filled with rather menacing looking tubes that held who knows what. Next to the freezer a hanger was attached to the wall that held my jacket and shirt, with my new swords posted against the wall.

"Well it's nice to see that our project is awake" came a thickly accented voice from behind me. The voice pronounced its Th as an S and sounded like that of an old man's voice. There was the click of a button and my table rotated to face the opposite direction. There I found a hunch backed old man with a really bad comb over dressed in a white lab coat. He wore thick rimmed full moon glasses that made his small beady eyes look huge, I noticed that he had no teeth and was drooling with his mouth open.

He held a remote in his right hand that must have been for my table, but before I could get a good look at it he slipped it into his coat pocket. He stepped closer to me and examined me as if I were a new species of frog to cut open. He looked me up and down before he pulled out a black marker and began to draw lines across my arms, chest and head. I stood dead still, not sure what to do. When he finished he put away his marker and removed the remote. He pressed a button and I swiveled back around to where I was facing before. The old man fallowed me around as the table turned and spoke when it came to a stop.

"Well, I must say that I am quite perplexed and very interested into you my little friend but I'm sure that you have no idea what I am saying, I mean after all you are only an animal for me to cut open." He said this in his thick accent.

"HO no you don't. I'm not on the butchers menu and I'm NOT going to be harvested for my organs." I said in a panicked tone. I was scared to see what would happen but I wanted to see the look on the doctors face when I spoke. I wasn't disappointed because he stumbled back in surprise and nearly fell over the table behind him that held all the sharp, pointy things that no doubt this man was going to use on me.

His eyes shot wide open in shock when I spoke and they stayed that way even after he recovered. He stepped forward shakily and stared at me in amazment.

"So you can speak, and you know what I'm saying right now? he asked me in amazement.

I sighed heavily and dropped my head saying

"Of course you nit wit, why else would I have two swords and be wearing good clothes?"

He looked rather shocked at what I had just said he looked like an idiot.

"Well I do suppose that never crossed my mind but still I have seen video footage of you transformation into a beast that is so savage it can't be in the same mind as you." The Doctor said stroking the stubble on his chin.

I sighed again and said "We are one and the same I can change into this "monster" as you say but I normally keep the same state of mind...until now." I said the last bit in a low tone that seemed to show my shame of what had happened in the basement. The man nodded thoughtfully before he said "Well either way I must have you change so that I can take a look around inside to see what makes these changes. And don't worry you will be dead before I take a peek." He said this last sentence with a kind smile that showed his lack of teeth and very red gums.

Before I could say anything He held up a needle filled with a thick green liquid. I began thrashing about trying in vain to break my holdings. "No you can't, you have no idea what will happen, I can't control it! NO! NO! NO!" I shouted as the doctor drew closer holding the needle at the ready. I felt the needle pierce the skin on my neck as it delved into my jugular vain. I was too late I felt the toxin passing through my body, through each vain, spreading as a burning pain. It felt as though fire had been injected into my veins. I screamed in pain as the change started. The fire within began to change to ice. My body felt so cold it burned. Bones snapped, shifted and reformed, muscle and tendons tore and grew back. The cage within, with its bent bars, tore apart, nothing held the monster within back, it was free and I could do nothing.

The doctor looked upon me with horror and panic. I held no control over my body but I could see through the eyes of what had once been my body. I let loose a howl that seemed to shake the room. I snarled at the doctor, lunging for him only to find that I was held down. for a moment I thought the bonds could hold me but with a mighty yank I freed my left hand, I turned and ripped my other hand free and with a mighty kick I freed both legs at once. I back handed the doctor with one quick sweep and sent him flying only to slam into the freezer against the wall. I was about to step forward to kill the old man but I stepped back when a strange fungus grew across his head and into his mouth. The body of the old man began to thrash about and shake uncontrollably. Suddenly he was still for a long moment before he stood. He had several cuts from the glass of the freezer that he shattered and within seconds strange tentacles of fungus grew from each one, the fungus spread across his body shaping and hardening like armor, his mouth became a small hole the size of a quarter, his eyes were gone, his left hand was a club like stump while his right hand grown in size to become a six fingered claw. The fungus covered the old man from head to toe and I know that he was gone. I or more appropriately my body whimpered and the beast recoiled back into the shadows of my soul and mind. I regained control of my body and changed back. The creature before me stood perfectly still but the moment I moved even a little its head snapped toward me.

"The end is near, the beginning will come we will end all." came thousands of voices that spoke as one from the creatures mouth. With that I bolted the wall, grabbed my shirt, jacket and swords. I bolted to the door only to find that it was locked. A strange gurgling, screeching sound came from behind me. I turned around to find the club arm of the creature flying at me. I ducked just in time for it to smash through the door, and into the wall past it. I looked at the creature again to find that the arm had stretched five feet from its original length. The arm recoiled back to the original length. I took this as the moment to make a brake for it. I ran into the hall and turned right running at top speed. I looked down at my chest and found scratches from the wolf thing that I fought in the basement. The scratches should have been healed by now but they weren't. That was good reason for concern but I had a more pressing problem chasing me down a hallway at the moment. I heard another unearthly scream from the creature that told me that it was catching up and that was not good. With my clothes and swrods in one hand I formed a ball of fire in the other. I tossed the black and silver ball of flames behind me hoping that it would slow the monster down some. There was an unearthly scream of pain as the eldritch fire hit its target. I looked back in front of me to find a wall made of glass forming a window. A mischievous smile crawled across my face. I ran at the window at full speed, none stop, not even hesitating. At about five paces I jumped at the window, hands out stretched, head down like a diver breaking the surface of the water. I hit the glass and spread my grey feathered wings. I glided on the wind and let out a laugh of triumph as I watched the black and silver fire ball of the fungus creature fallow me out the window only to plummet what looked to be eighty five stories to its death. I flapped my wings and put on a little speed when I saw guards aiming their guns at me and begin to open fire. None hit me but I did not want to push my luck.

Lilith looked out the window of her office to see the only person as powerful as her fly out of her tight grasp. The elevator doors dinged as they opened and her head guard strolled in. He was a normal looking man in a black suit, dress shoes, thick wrap around glasses, and a tight military hair cut. he walked toward the desk in a stiff, straight walk.

"How is the Capitan doing?" asked Lilith

"Still in critical condition mama." said the Guard in an emotionless voice.

"A shame, I hope he recovers from the attack so that he may have his revenge." Lilith said in an even tone.

"Mama, the prisoner has escaped before we could get any DNA." The guard said.

"As I can see, calls up the Evolutionary Hunters, tell them I will pay anything they want so long as Gane is killed and I have his DNA." Lilith said, her voice showing a hint of anger.

"Yes mama." said the guard as he turned on his heel and walked back to the elevator.

I thought I knew where I was but it's hard to tell when you've only been through the city once and not even all the city. I had stopped for a short time on a roof to put my shirt, jacket, and swords on. I was gliding on a swift breeze looking about for anything that I would recognize but I saw nothing. I was about to start a descent to land in an ally and ask someone for directions when everything went to hell. I angled my wings for descent when out of the blue a foot tangle wrapped around me. A foot tangle is three heavy balls connected by a cord of differing length depending on the style.

The cord pulled my wings tight around me and I plummeted to the downward. The only thing that I managed to say before I slammed through a roof was "What the hell!"

I slammed through the roof of a large and what looked to be abandoned factory. I hit the concrete floor with a heavy, painful thud. I began coughing from all the dust and rubble that I threw into the air on impact. After I stopped gagging on dust I found that I was in an abandoned factory for shore. Old machinery lay everywhere, thick chains ending in hooks hung from the ceiling and rattled from the effect that gravity had on me. The place looked very run down and did not seem to be the best place to be since someone was coming for me. I rolled my hand around so that I could grab the cord which turned out to be metal. I grabbed hold of it and used Eldritch energy to melt the metal under my fingers. The Metal turned to a thick liquid in my hand, The rest of the cord slacked. I stood up letting the cord fall off. Suddenly there was a laugh that rang out from all corners of the building that chilled me to the bone, a laugh that showed its owner held no sanity and no soul.

"Well brother look what we have here, a mutant that flies like a baby bird with one wing." came a raspy voice that came from everywhere at once.

"Quite brother, shall we clip his wings." came another more gravelly voice.

"Yes, yes brother, and let's do the same to his face, and squishy organs." came the first voice.

As they spoke I turned around and around trying to find where the voices were coming from, but could not.

"Who are you and what do you want?" I said in an even voice to hid my fear.

"Well it looks like this one is either brave or thick in the head, perhaps both." came the second voice.

"We are evolutionarily hunters; we hunt mutations to prevent evolution. Humanity must stay pure after all." came the second voice again.

Suddenly two figures stepped out of the shadows on either side of me about ten passes between me and either one. They were both dressed in well worn jeans, and a dark grey hoodies that were splattered in dry blood. They seemed fairly normal aside from their faces. Both faces were shadow within the hood, nothing could be seen but an unnaturally large smile filled with jagged teeth that curved upward almost to the eyes. Each had different eyes, one had solid white eyes what looked blood shot around the rims, both eyes were perfectly round and were bigger than normal eyes. The other had glowing red eyes that were slanted inward to from a permanent angry expression.

The one with the red eyes held up his right hand to show that in place of a hand was a gun.

"I'm Bloody John.' he said

The other held up is right hand to show that is was a blade with flesh growing up it like roots.

"I'm Smiling Mike." he said.

"And you are soon to be dead." They both said in unison.

"Well my real name is Gane but nice guess. And you two have me mistaken; I'm not human and never was." I said in a calm and friendly tone that shook slightly.

"We don't care your big bucks to BIO corp and that's all that counts to us." said Mike.

With that he charged me, his blade arm pulled back for a stab. I side stepped at the last moment but as he reached me his blade turn into a mass of writhing tentacles tipped with spikes. Two of the tentacles wrapped around my feet, I pulled out one of my blades to sever them but there was a loud cark and I was knocked onto my back. A sharp pain stabbed my shoulder; I looked at the sores of the pain to find a four inch long metal spike jammed through it. The spike was in the same shoulder as the hand that held the sword, and before I could do anything I was yanked across the floor. Mike stood over me, his other hand a blade, aimed to my face for a stab.

"Let's play." He said in a voice that showed once more that he was a nut case.

"ok" I replied.

I lit my hand ablaze with eldritch fire and grabbed his face. The flames spread across his head and he screamed in agony. I pulled the spike out of my shoulder, jumped to my feet and stabbed it into mikes gut. I dug it in deep and kicked him over, another loud crack and a spike sailed through the air to get imbed in my other shoulder. My body turned from the force of the shot and I winced and groaned in pain but I pulled it out and threw it back at John. The spike hit him dead in the shoulder.

"No give backs." I said him with a smirk.

I turned back to find a tactical smacking me in the face so hard I fell over. Mike quickly walked over to me. He raised his blade hand for a strike. I rolled to one side as it came down barely missing me. But he seemed to anticipate that move because the tentacles wrapped around my ankles and Mike wrenched me off the ground and threw me with one motion of the tentacles I sailed through the air and slammed against a heavy machine. I fell to the ground like a rag doll. I groaned in pain as I got to me knees. I looked up just in time to see John looking at me through the scope of his hand gun (forgive the pun) which and turned to a sniper rifle somehow. I jumped to my feet and rolled behind a huge machine. I found a long hallway leading off into the building. I sprinted down it hoping to find and exit and get away from these freaks. wait. Who was I to talk about freaks. I turned left at that end of the hall and stopped at the sound of foot steps behind me.

"Ba, ba, black sheep have you any wool." Sang Mike as he slowly walked down the dark hall, his body outlined by the light behind him. I ran down the hall I turned on trying to get away from him. I took another left at the end of the hall. I found that this hall just lead back to the main room. I stopped and leaned against the wall at the end of the hall, taking deep breaths to calm myself down I closed my eyes trying to think. These guys are too good at this, how can I deep them? The thought hit me like one of Johns spikes, by separating them.

"Yes sir yes sir three bags full." came a voice right next to me. I jumped out of my skin and lunged backwards. Mike stood in the entrance to the main room.

"Play times over." Mike said in an angry tone.

He launched two tentacles at my eyes intending to stab right through them and into my brain. I caught them just before they reached my eyes pushing hard against them I said "Not quite." through gritted teeth. I turned them around and stabbed them into Mikes eyes at the last second as I said "Tag! your it." as Mike screamed in agony. I grabbed his head with both hands and lit his head on fire with eldritch fire. The flames spread across the whole of Mikes body and I kicked him over once I was sure he would not get up. I found that the halls branched off and that there was a hall entrance at each wall. When I pocked my head out the one that should have led me behind John I found that he was no longer there but instead he was on the old iron bridge cross the side of the wall above me. He skimmed the area through his scope but failed to notice me quickly and quietly scale the old massive bulldozer right next to the bridge. I snuck up right behind him but he must have heard me because he turned around and his sniper was now a triple barrel shot gun. I knew this because of the shot he fired into me a point blank range, that sent me slamming against the wall behind me. I lashed out with my sword but something was wrong when I hit him. I slashed and I felt the blade strike but no flesh parted at the strike. John raised his gun to shoot again but I bated it away with my sword before I ran him through on it. The blade sliced cleanly through him and stuck out the other side. Thick black liquid ran down my sword and formed a puddle on the floor. I kicked him off my blade, he flew through the air, limp and dead and was caught by the neck in a loop of hanging chains. I hopped down from the bridge to see if he was really dead. HIs body swung like that of a hanged man but there was something wrong. When I looked closer I found not organs in his chest but cogs, gears, and wires.

There was a strange gurgling laughter that came from the body and I was not shore if it was him speaking or a recording as he spoke.

"I still have one more trick up my sleeve and the show will end with a bang, have fun." he said. There was a very high pitched beeping that came from Johns chest and I knew what it was, a bomb. I bolted for the main doors running at top speed. I jumped and rolled just as the building exploded.

I stood up after the blast and dusted myself off saying "Wall the show did end with a bang."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Terrorists Recruiting

After fleeing the scene I asked for directions to the safe house, but trying to do so without making it look like I was going to rob the house once I got there.

It turned out that I was closer than I thought to becoming a charbroil because not only had the explosion turned the building to rubble but also all the hairs on the back of my neck were cooked off showing a very angry red burn underneath.

After I asked five people for directions with no luck an old women took pity on me and my burns. She gave me the directions and a tub of what looked to be green slug which she said would help my burns. I thanked her for everything and started to the safe house. I didn't want to look rude so I held onto the *tub of slug until I turned a street corner, then I dropped it into some random mans hands. As I walked through the city I looked around at everything. I felt like a kid in a high tech candy shop. I looked at windows of shops as I walked by never stopping but looking in none the less. I was amazed at how many things this new world had, from jet packs to laser knives, to really pricey robots.

After a short time I noticed that the city around me was slowly changing, becoming more run down and old. After a short while I came to the first large metal door that I passed through to get to Lilith. Thinking of this brought a surge of anger and now I had to pass this vile THING that barred my path. My eyes flickered wild yellow for a short moment, I bared my teeth in hate, and clenched my fists. I ran at the door at full speed before pushing off the group and barely skimming the top of the metal frame. I landed kneeling on one knee, with my head down.

Before I could stand up something hit me on the side of the head, I shot my head up to see a small blue rubber ball near my hand. A small boy was running toward me shouting "Ball, Ball, Ball!" and giggling as he ran over. He ran over and picked up the ball in both hands, then looked up at me and smiled. He held out the ball to me and asked "Play?". I batted the ball out of his hands and almost lunged at him before I fought back against the anger. I pulled my hand back, clutching the wrist of it in my other hand. I shrank back afraid of what had just happened, afraid of myself. The boy burst onto tears, wailing loudly. I felt sorry for the boy and hated myself more because of it. I almost killed a boy that looked to be only three or four, and why, because he wanted to play. What kind of monster was I becoming?

After a moment I walked over to the ball that I had batted out of the boys hands, picked it up and walked back to the boy. I held out my hand with the ball in it to the boy, after a moment he saw the ball, stopped crying, and took it giggling again as he took it from me. I smiled at him and he ran away chasing the ball.

Once I reached the house I knocked on the door. There was no rely. I knocked again, but still no reply. Finally I kicked the door in, in complete frustration. I now it was not brightest thing to do but I was not thinking.

I stepped inside the concrete living room of the house, had called

"Nick! you here! I'm back, I've got some info for you!"

My last words were cut off when something hit me on the back of the head, sending me to the floor. I hit the floor face first, and rolled on to my back so that I could defend myself more easily. What I saw was nothing of what I had expected. As I rolled over the first thing I saw was the barrel of a pump action shot gun, holding the shot gun in one hand, and with a boot placed firmly on my chest was as thing that after a moment I realized was a man. He wore a suit of full battle armor like I had never seen, full black, tight fitting fabric covered the whole body with metal plating everywhere short of the joints. His helmet was other worldly, from the ears back was black rounded, smooth metal, but the whole front of the it was what looked to be one way orange glass that was rounded and smooth like the rest but different.

"Who are you and give me one good reason why I shouldn't make your head look like a water melon that was hit with an RPG?" came a rough voice from inside the helmet. I squirmed under his boot and gun for a moment before I answered.

"I am Gane, I saw sent out to gather Intel by Nick and I am here to tell him what I have found." I said in a monotone voice as I looked from the man to his gun and back to him.

"Well it looks like I won't be firing this gun today." said the armored man as he stepped off my chest, slipped his gun into a holster on his back and stretched out his hand to me. I took the hand and he helped me up, once I was up I dusted myself off and asked "who are you anyway?"

He raised a hand to the side of his lower jaw and pushed in a hidden button. As he pressed it the glass of the helmet split down the middle, pulled apart and closed against the sides of the helmet to show the man's face. He had a thin face that looked slightly browned, covered in small scars, and had a strange way of looking not just stony but as if it were made of weathered granite.

"You can call me Zerath. But enough with the intro's we got to get moving." He said in a gruff voice. He was trying to look as if he hated me but I could see one corner of his mouth turn up slightly in a smile.

"Where do we need to go?" I asked in confusion.

"To the base." Zerath said simply.

"And I'm really sorry for this." his continued.

"For wha-" but I was cut short when the butt of Zerath's shot gun came from out of nowhere and hit me on the back of the head and the world went black.

When I can to I had a head ach... again. by now I was really getting tired of getting knocked out and of the headaches.

The first thing I heard was a familiar voice that after a moment I pin pointed as Nicks. When I opened my eyes I found that I was on the floor of a small square room with a large metal table rising out of the floor in the middle of the room. The next thing I was Nicks bright blue hair as he passed back and for across the room, looking at the floor with his hands behind his back. Zerath was in the room to and Nick was yelling at him about how his should not have knocked me out. I sat up and groaned in pain as I clutched the side of my head. Both of the men stopped in mid conversation and stared at me. Zerath looked at me as if I were a ghost and Nick looked every concerned.

"What, what is it, did I do something wrong?" I asked afraid that I did something I should not have.

"But you should be dead. I mean I wasn't trying to kill you but you should be." said Zerath in as scared tone.

"Well Gane I am very impressed at your healing capabilities. And I must say this before we go any farther. I am sorry for sending you into that mission without explaining or training you." Nick said in a voice that started off intrigued and moved suddenly to chocked and shaky.

"Its fine Nick I know why you did it." I said but Nick went on.

"It's just that I was an opportunity to get a good grip on BIO corp. that I failed to think of the man doing the job. Wait, What? you understand?" Nicks tone moved from chocked to confused.

"Yes, I understand, Lilith told very thing to me from her point of view before she tried to feed me to her monster pet dogs." I said in a voice that hid none of my hate toward Lilith of those abominations in her basement.

"Wait, What? Tell me everything that happened to the second." Nick said as he sat down cross legged across from me. As he said this he eyed the swords that Lilith gave to me. I took a deep breath and told Nick everything.

"Well I would have never guessed that the head of the snake was a women." Nick said in a tone of pure fascination.

"Well that's what you get for under estimating the other sex." came an all too familiar voice from the door. I looked up to find Krylica leaning up against the door frame. She looked just like that last time I had seen her but with a shirt that said "Sanitarium is my home that I ran away from."

"Yes hello Kate." said Nick in an annoyed tone without looking over his shoulder.

"Well it looks like a bitch is running the house of horrors, I can't wait to gun her down." came Krylica as she strode into the room without making a sound in her heavy black shoes.

"Well it looks like you came at the right time for me to give you your next assignment." said nick with a slight smile.

"Well hell it's about fucking time. What is it?" said Krylica with a huge smirk plastered across her face.

"You will be in charge of training Gane in everything he needs to know in order to work with us." said Nick, the smile growing with every word. And with those words the smirk on Krylica's face fell apart into a look of utter horror.

"But you can't do this to me; I mean I can't be stuck with the fresh meat, trying to teach him to not get himself to giblets with a grenade. I need to be out there on the front lines." Krylica yelled pointing to the door.

Zerath snickered at this but then Nick said "And Zerath will help you with this fresh meat." and his smile fell away too.

With that he to added to the whining and complaining.

Nick only held up his hand for silence and both Krylica and Zerath stopped talking.

"From the sound of what Gane did I think we can skip melee trains and several others. All you have to do is see how he does on the firing range, teach him the basics of demolition, and see how he does with anything else you think he might need."

Both of Krylica and Zerath groaned out a "yes sir" before they turned to leave. Nick turned to me and said "you had better catch up with them cus they aren't going to wait around."

I nodded, stood and started after them at a brisk pace.

The base was huge, and looked to be all underground. Men and women ran about on their daily jobs, many carrying papers, computers, or wounded personnel. The main halls were large enough to drive three cars through at once. At one point I found a long window that looked out over a huge room the size of a foot ball stadium where thin looking cars drove around in sheer chaos, shooting what looked to be over sized paint balls from a large verity of mounted guns and cannons.

When we finally reached where we were going I found out that it was a firing range, with the largest verity of guns I have ever seen on the back wall. Strangely there was no one there aside from the three of us. Zerath seemed to notice my look of confutation and said "this is the training range and we don't have very many trainees."

I nodded silently, looking over the range for a long moment before Krylica came from out of nowhere and shoved a pistol into my hands. She held one as well and walked up to the table where all people firing where to load and fire their guns. I walked up next to her and watched as she used a holographic key board on the table to drop down two silhouettes of a man from the thighs up. Each of these silhouettes had out lining rings in side to show the areas to aim for. Krylica looked at me and said "fire at the target, aim first for the disabling points then go for the kill shots." I nodded and tried to hold back a smile as I fired the gun ten times in rapid secession. I set down my gun and smiled at Krylica. She only gave me a smile of satisfaction as if she knew I did something wrong. She turned back to her target and popped off thirteen shots faster than I had. She fired the gun as if it were an automatic. I looked at her a confutation and amazement, but she only dialed the numbers to bring in the silhouettes, first mine then hers. I looked at mine feeling rather pleased with myself. One shot in each elbow, and shoulder, three shots in the abdominals, one in the heart, neck, and head. Krylica nodded as she looked at mine.

"Not back, it looks like you can handle a pistol just fine but you missed one area." Krylica said in a slightly impressed tone that moved to a voice of smugness. I looked at her in confusion then I looked at her target all the same hits as mine but then I looked lower and saw three holes in the area of the groin. I winced at the thought of her menacing skill.

"To shay I never thought of that" I said in a tone of discomfort. She only smirked at me then handed me her pistol and brought down another target.

"This one is not instant, but a torture kill, cause as much damage as you can with those then finish him quick with one shot." Krylica said, her voice strictly neutral.

I raised my guns and opened fire. Once I stopped Krylica pulled it in to show what where its abdominals should have been there was a huge gaping hold large enough to stick my head through, and one small hole in the neck, just to the left so that it out hit the carotid artery. Krylica only sighed and shook her head.

"I said torture not turn organs to paste then shoot the dead body in the neck." She said in and annoyed tone.

I only shrugged and said "Sorry, I'm a bit trigger happy."

She only rolled her eyes and told Zerath to take over. Zerath strolled over to me with a sigh and a shot gun in both hands.

"Well let's see how you to with a _real_ weapon like this." Zerath said as he held out his shot gun. He said the word real as if pistols were nothing more

I felt than squirt guns. Krylica glared at the back of Zerath's had and I thought she might burn a hole through his helmet. I took the shot gun and Zerath Dropped down what looked to be very silhouette in the room. He looked at me and said three words "Kill 'em all."

I pumped the shot gun and fired as soon as I got a target aimed down the sight. After twenty seconds and five reloads I stopped, panting like a dog. It was harder than I thought, firing as fast as I could while still trying to hit every target with a kill shot.

Zerath jogged down and back across the room after he pulled the silhouettes in. After he passed them all he came over to me and said "Three head shots, two neck hits, and eight heart hits."

rather proud of myself having that many kills but my pride was crushed when Zerath said "That was fucking terrible! You still have twenty wounded enemies and thirty enemies that took nothing but a few scratches. I lowered my head in shame but Zerath put his hand on my shoulder and said "But that was the best any one has ever done aside from me. How old are you?"

"Eighteen" I said to his helmeted face.

"You have to be joking. I'm nineteen." He said as he opened his helmet again. He looked too old to be nineteen, Twenty three maybe but not nineteen, but upon closer examination I could see someone just older than me under the scars and shadows of many battles.

I looked at him in surprise and confusion, and he only laughed at my expression. 'I have seen many fights and they give me a battle hardened mind, My face has seen much abuse from I don't know how many weapons." He said as his laughs fell away

"But enough with the talk. If you want to see real skills, watch this." Zerath continued.

Before I could protest, he turned to a target, tossed the shot gun in the air, rotating. It was only just above his head when he reached up with unthinkable speed and tapped the trigger. The blast from the shot stopped the rolling of the gun and nearly sent it into the back wall if Zerath hadn't caught it by the pump. Krylica stood next to me, arms crossed and only rolled her eyes at Zerath's stunt. I opened my mouth to speak but Zerath cut me off.

"I'm not done yet." He said as he dialed five buttons to bring the target in. once it was just across the table I saw that Zerath had done. There were shot holes across the target but the real trick was what was on the head. On the head six holes made a perfect smile in proportion to the head right where the mouth would be, and two holes that made the eyes, right were the eyes would be if this were a real man. I clapped my hands in applause, amazed me the trick. Zerath nodded in satisfaction at the smiling silhouette.

"And how is that useful on the field of battle." Krylica asked not even bothering to hide her annoyance at the Zerath. Zerath Shrugged

"I not know, but you have to admit that this is every impressive." Zerath replied.

"But it holds no true use." Said Krylica, her voice rising a bit.

"Well it could boost morale, Knowing that there is someone with the skill, accuracy to do this." I broke in, trying to bring the argument to an end before someone go shot.

Krylica shot me a glare that could melt steel, but Zerath only smiled and crossed his arms over his chest.

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful. In demolitions I passed with flying colors or more appropriately flying shrapnel. The only fall back I had in demolitions was when I got a sticky grenade stuck to my hand and Krylica had to rip of the skin to keep everyone in one piece. The skin grew back after a few minutes of me holding back tears. I passed sniper training with a nice smiley face of bullet holes across each targets head. Zerath thought they were hilarious while Krylica only slapped me on the back of the head and said I was being infantile, which only made Zerath fall over laughing when I did a spot on impression of a bobble head from the force from Krylica's strike.

I had some problems with heavy weapons training. I got a little too trigger happy with the heavy chain gun and I turned both the enemy and the friendly targets to mulch. Vehicle training was a nightmare. The tank was too clunky, and I ran over everything, they car was too wide and sensitive and I ran the test car into walls at every turn. The only thing that redeemed me was the Storm bike. It was light, fast, thin, flexible, and made it easy to get in and out of places where cars could not to, like hallways. The bikes were like none that I have known before. They are a little wider then a normal man with wide tires so keep balance. The seat is leaned back at 130 degree angle with the pair of handles at the perfect a height and distance with triggers for the duel heavy machine guns on the front.

I seemed to have a natural skill for the bike that neither Zerath nor Krylica had.

For my physical examination, I placed in a large, white, round room with a pillar in the center of the room, which had a smooth almost lip at mid level where it looked to be a large computer network. The Screens floating in mid air, slowly rotating around the pillar. Krylica and Zerath stood at the edge of the room, not sitting even though the entire front half of the rooms edge as like a huge half circle couch. A short old man entered from the automatic Iron doors He wore white dress paint, and lab coat, and a blue button shirt. He was mostly bald aside from a crown of peppered with and black hair that rimmed his head. He looked a little over weight, but every cheerful. He walked in reading what looked to be a computer the size and shape of a clip board. He read whatever was on it intently through half moon glasses that were perched at the tip of his nose, never looking up until Krylica gave a slight cough. His head shot up to look at Krylica and Zerath standing like statues. Before the doctor could ask why they were here Krylica raised her hand and without a word pointed to me. He turned to toward me and stared at me for a long moment. After that long moment his face broke out into a broad grin. I walked toward me at a quick pace, and a little bounce in his step. He walked right up to me stopped an inch from my nose and began looking me up and down.

"Incredible, it looks almost human, aside from the eyes, ears, and teeth." The small man murmured to himself as he separated my lips and examined my teeth.

"I can understand you, you know." I said with a slight slur as the doctor held my lips apart and tapped my canine teeth with his finger nail.

The Doctor stood back suddenly, and looked to be blushing. He coughed uncomfortably and put out his hand.

"Sorry about that, my name is Doctor Shell." He said looking a little embarrassed at how I was treated like new dissection project no doubt. I grasped his hand firmly but not trying crush his fingers, and shock the hand.

"Its fine Doctor, I can understand, given that I'm not human." I said with a smile to try and show kindness but I was having flash backs of the mad Doctor that wanted to cut me open back at BIO corp.

"Thank you for understanding. when I heard that we had a new recruit and he was not human I jumped at the chance to see you with my own eyes."

Dr. Shell said in excitement.

"Now, can I see what you can really do? And...um do you really have wings?" He asked the second question shyly as if he were afraid he might insult me.

I only gave him a mischievous smile, spread out my arms, palm up, summoned two globes of black flame, and opened up my wings though the slights in my jacket and shirt. The doctors stumbled back, eyes wide, mouth open and stared at me. Zerath had opened his helmet and looked much like the doctor. But Krylica only grinded at the looks on the Doctors and Zeraths face. I closed my hands, extinguishing the flames, but I kept my wings out. I flapped them gently, sending a wave of cold air throughout the room. After a long moment Dr. Shell finally spoke.

"Magnificent, utterly incredible I can't believe that wings like this could hold you up, you must have hollow bones like that of a bird and from the battle reports your bones must be made of some super tough material. May I touch them?" He asked , taking a step forward. I nodded, and wrapped my wings around me like a cloak. The Doctor ran his across my left wing gently going over every feather. The plucked one feather out which made me jump.

"Sorry. But I am amazed at the shape and structure of your feathers." Dr. Shell said in a voice of awe.

"Now I need for you to strip down, for your full examination." Dr. Shell continued.

As soon as he said it Krylica jumped for the door, running at top speed, while Zerath whipped out a gun shop magazine and became every interested in some article.

I will save you the gruesome details and tell you that I was in extraordinary shape. The Doctor crammed me into what looked to be an MRI that was part of the wall. I got scanned for everything, muscle mass, bone density, X-ray, MRI, nerves system, Brain activity, and I don't know what else. All that I know was all of the faulting screens were across the room from where I had first seen them, now they were in front of the Doctor who was about five feet to my left. He was looking at them in utter amazement. I took this chance to put on my pants while he was engrossed in the information. I was about to grab my shirt when Dr. Shell stepped through the screens and walked right towards me.

"We are almost done, all I need now is a full analysis of you in your "True" state." He said his normally cheery voice took one a more hard edge. I shrugged and let the vertebra in my spine multiply, sticking out of my skin, slowly forming my spike tipped tail which grew through the hole in my paint that the tail made then I had let it show when I had left the cave. Two nubs grew out from my forehead, curving back over my head, silhouetting it in shape. The skin over them hardened, and formed what was much like layers over the bone, thicker at the base, tipped with a spike that angled upward, then a thinner set of layers ending again in a spike, and again the same set up but this time ending with the true, upward curved tip of my horns. Each horn was almost bladed in a sense at the upper side.

The bone of my horns was black with a twinge of red at the bladed side.

The Doctor rapped on me horns and tugged on my tail but then he shook his head.

"No, no, no. I mean the primal, animalistic form that I heard so much about." Dr. Shell said in an impatient voice.

"No, I'm sorry but there's something wrong with me when I change to that. I can't do it there's no way I'm changing into that." I said backing away they last few words rising into shouts. Dr. Shell pulled a syringe out of his coat pocket that looked to be filled with the same stuff that the other doctor injected me with.

"I need for you to do this. For the sake of sciences!" With each word the doctor drew closer, the last words of his rising into shouts like mine had.

Zerath Jumped out of his seat, ran across the room, and knocked the needle out of Dr. Shells hand faster than I would have thought he could.

Dr. Shell spun to face Zerath but before he could speak the doors opened and Nick rushed in, with Krylica, hot in his heels.

"Sorry doc but we need Gane for something very important." Nick said breathing hard as he reached us. Nick didn't even stop, when he reached us, he grabbed my arms and yanked me to the door, I barely had enough time to grab my swords, shirt and coat as we ran by. I was dragged down a long hall, through five different rooms before we reached our final destination.

It was a dark, small room with a large table that grew out of the ground. Its top was gridded and filled the whole room with blue light. Around the table stood four men and on women. Nick, Zerath, Krylica, and I entered the room and circled around the table.

"Welcome to the briefing room ladies and genital men, We are all here today so we can strike a fatal blow to Bio Corp. said Nick in a confident voice.

"Now we have a new member so let's go through the team." Nick continued.

"Here was have Krylica" Nick said gesturing to her with his hand. "Light weapons and infiltration specialist."

Krylica nodded her head to me in acknowledgement.

Nick moved his hand over to a short, thin man, with only one eye, in a white sleeveless shirt, who was chewing on a tooth pick. His thin red hair drooped just over his eye patch.

"This is Sayrx, sniper and specialized ammo specialist."

Sayrx nodded to me. "Hay." he said as he snapped his tooth pick in half with his tongue only to pull out another one.

Next Nick gestured to tall man with well shaped muscles, His brown hair was tightly cut and he stood at attention in a camouflage t-shirt with its sleeves torn off.

"This is Captain James, leader of this group and tactic expert." Nick said was Capt. James Looked down at me with a look of pure loathing.

Nick moved on to a tall woman with dark brown hair tided back into dreadlocks. She was we muscled and wore a white sleeveless shirt.

"This is River, Sayrx's sister and heavy weapons specialist.

River gave me a curtly node before the doors opened to the room letting in a flood of light. A man walked in his black skin making him near invisible in the shadows.

"Yo Sorry I'm late, people, I had a thing with my computer" came the comer as he walked up to the table. Once he was in the light I saw that he wore a yellow jacket over a blue shirt, and baggy green cargo pants.

"You pervert, why can't you get a girl friend for that." Came Krylica in a disgusted tone.  
>"Whow, not that kind of thing, I was hacking into BIO's money pile, so that I could get me new car." said the new comer.<p>

"And right on his usual time, this is Worm, hacker, field medic and late to everything but lunch call."

"Yo that's me baby, I'm the computer god himself."

Nick moved on to the HUGE black man next to Worm.

his skin was as black as midnight and I knew flat off the bat he was born in America from the shape of his face. He was a very big man that looked like he could snap everyone in here like tooth pick. After I got over his immense size I noticed his left arm was mechanical. He wore a white sleeveless shirt that was stand with what looked to be car oil.

"This is Bolt, out other heavy weapons specialist, One of the only to enter America after the lockdown, and lost his arm doing it, but now he's back and better than ever."

bolt gave me a huge grin that showed his white teeth. I smiled back at him afraid he might kill me if I didn't.

Next Nick moved on to Zerath the last line.

"This is Zerath, shot gun and demolition specialist."

Zerath nodded to me and I nodded back.

"And finally, the new addition to your group, Gane, how among other specialist skills is a hand to hand expert."

"Gane? what kind of name is that?" said Worm in utter announce that my name was normal.

"It's my birth name." I replied.

"And what are your other skills aside from hand to hand?" Asked James.

I was about to reply when Nick placed his and on my shoulder, and with one look I know what he wanted, to not tell them the truth for fear of losing their trust.

"I can't tell you my main skills just yet but I can tell you I'm good at everything but computers and caring for the wounded." I replied to James.

Worm snorted and James's face turned red.

"How am I supposed to know how to use you best when I don't even know what you can do?" James said to me in a stiff voice the steadily filled with anger, as he gripped the side of the table.

"I made him with hold the information for safety reasons, captain, and I expect you to treat him fairly and without discrimination. Should you treat him unfairly I will hear of it and you will be demoted to Privet." said Nick in a low, steady voice that held a tone that showed he was not playing around. James gave a heavy sigh and dropped his head.

"Yes sir." He said without looking up.

"Alright, here's the plain." said Nick, as he spoke a 3D Hallow gram appeared in the air above the table. That was in the shape of a large building, with one floor and what looked to be an underground level. It slowly spun around and every once and a while would flip.

"This is a ghost building, according to the records this building does not exist. It was a Sanitarium or nuthouse for those of you. But now it is a breading and research futility for BIO Corps little pets. We are going to hit this place and hit it hard.

The company doesn't want anyone to get to close to it and figure out what is really going on in there. So they had the guard HQ built right next to it. Both to keep people from going in and beasties from getting out." Nick said with a look of nasty ambition written on his face.

"But how on earth are we supposed to get in if Guards are crawling like ants over that place." asked Sayrx with a note of confutation in his voice.

Nick smiled and said "I was hoping you would ask. We go in through the sewers." As Nick said this, the Hallow gram of the building zoomed out to show a maze of sewer tunnels, with one rote highlighted red that led from where we must have been to the basement floor of the target building.

"No one goes down there except for maintenance and those that are give that job, have the company as much as us if not more. This job should be nice and quick, all you have to do is get to the building, make your way across the basement, and let Zerath plant the charges, and run. The charges will go off and cut off most power to the building, and as a reaction all the cells that hold the mutant will open. They will work their way up and out of the building, causing utter chaos and panic. The guards will meet the hoard of beast head on and they will win but at the price of innumerable casualties. This weakening will give us a chance to send out raid parties to hit most of the supplied warehouses and drain them of most of their supplies." As Nick said this he voice slowly filled with excitement like a glass of filling with water.

Everyone in the room was dead silent, and staring at the hollow gram as if it were the key to winning a losing fight.

"Now everyone head to lunch. Eat well and think to the future." Nick said with a kind smile on his face.

Every one filled out of the room muttering about how all this could end. I noticed Zerath and Bolt muttering to each other, suddenly Bolt burst into laughter and slapped Zerath on the back with his Cybernetic arm. Zerath stumbled forward but caught his balance before he fell. It looked like Zerath and Bolt were close. At least Zerath has someone to trust and talk to I thought sadly. At one point every one split into groups and walked down different halls. I stopped for a second confused on which way to go but the Zerath shouted to me from the hall he walked alone since Bolt had left him.

When we reach the mess hall don't sit with me, don't even look at me. I have built a reputation around here of being man of death and eating with a recruit will decimate that thought of me. Just wait tell after the mission then you can sit with me." Zerath told me in a low voice as we neared the mess hall.

I gave him a puzzled look but nodded any way.

"when mess is over just fallow me _at a distance_ to the prep room and armory." Zerath continued.

I nodded again.

We entered a huge room the size of a football field with long tables everywhere, and food at that far end, opposite me.

Zerath walked past me at a fast pace and just stepped into the middle of the line. As he stepped in the man behind him took a huge step back, with the man in front of him stepped out and briskly walked to the end of the line. I could see why he did so, with the helmet on Zerath looked like he might stab you in the back and use you spin and skull of golf.

I stepped in at the end of the line and waited. The line moved slowly and I was getting hungry. I was about to make it to the serving table when a man cut in front of me. I sighed and waited. Then another man cut in front of me, a deep growl rolled out from my throat. The man took one look over his shoulder and ignored me. Then another man cut in front of me. I was fuming with rage but I pulled myself together and tapped him on the shoulder. He was just taller than me with blond hair and blue eyes. He turned around to face me.

"Excuse me but you cut me off, the line starts back there." I said pointing to the end of the line.

"Ya, well fresh meat, guess what, any one of higher rank can cut, its tradition." the man said with a sneer. He snapped his fingers and five men stepped out of line and surrounded me.

"And anyone how is new and asks questions gets beaten to a pulp, that's tradition too." Said the blond man with nasty smile. Every on in the line stepped out and away from the one upcoming fight. The only thing I could think before all hell broke loose way, high school never ends does it?

One man threw a punch at me, I side stepped it, grabbed his arm and put him in an arm bar. Another man lunged at me I kicked the man I had in hand the other man in mid air. One man tried to sweep my legs out from under me with a sweep kick. I jumped over the kick and landed with all my weight on the man's leg, it snapped and the legs owner screamed in pain. the final thug came at me with the intent to tackle me around the middle. I spun around on the man's leg and met my attacker with a heel kick, my heels striking him in the lower jaw. I hit him with a sickening snap, set down my foot, spun again, wrenching another scream form the man upon who's leg I was standing on. I came back around with a hook kick catching the tackler on the neck with the back of my knee. My leg had a slight bend to that I would catch his head in the center of the hook and swing him around and out of the way. the man kept his speed and ran right into a table.

Everyone in the room was staring at me, even Zerath, who no doubt was smiling under his mask.

The blond man stared at me in surprise but only for a short moment.

"So you're the new recruit that's not human. I suppose that I should have known that from those stupid looking eyes, pathetic hair, idiotic pointed ears, and of course that, putrid stench the seems to be growing off you. You're the freak that Nick brought in." I glared at him, stepping off the downed mans leg and closer to the man I would turn to sliced ham.

"Well, well, well. Looks Like the freak has some guts!" He shouted to the room. He snapped his fingers and said "Bore, Tank, kill him. I don't think Nick will care if I throw this one to the Guards as a gift for all their failed works."

Two large men stepped forward, on brandishing a knife the other a sledgehammer. One of them, I don't know how whistled and I don't know how many stepped forward with weapons.

One man charged me and I side stepped his attack, striking him thin the back of the neck with my elbow. The man fell and slid a foot before stopping. I knelt down and picked up the knife, all was still and quite until I stood. When I stood to face my aggressors all hell broke loose. They swarmed over me I lashed out with the knife, trying only do disable and not kill. I caught one man by the wrist as he tried to stab me, I brought my knee up breaking his elbow. He screamed in pain and I caught his knife before it hit the ground. I side kicked one man in the chest and sent him flying into another. I ducked under one blow and stabbed a woman in the foot, leaving the knife in to hold her in place and prevent too much bleeding. I jumped upward and backward as someone tried to stab me from above. I flung myself into a man behind me to surprise him. I hit him and used him as a wall to push off of. Sending myself flying through the air toward one of the bigger men the blond man had first called. I was about to reach him and hit him in the back when I swung around to face me, and brought his hammer with him. It caught me in the ribs and sent me flying. I felt the wind get knocked from my lungs and four of my ribs cracking. I slammed into two me that never saw me coming. I hit them and they hit the floor. I pulled myself to my feet slowly and prepared myself for the fight. I felt something inside stir. An anger like I have never felt, a hunger that would drive me mad, a darkness in my soul. It was the beast and it wanted to out, it wanted to fight, and eat. I fought it down but just barely. The mob was getting closer. I was about to come at them but I felt something strange at the pit of my stomach. Boiling warmth that I had only felt when I have first used my new power. I closed my eyes and consecrated on feeling. It spread up my chest, to my shoulders, down to my hands, but then the feeling left me. As if it were flowing through my hands an out of my body. I opened my eyes and found that they two knives held were covered in black flames. I looked at them in wonder then I came to the stupid realization that I had two swords on my back. Why the hell am I using these knives, when I have two huge swords I thought?

I threw the knives into the mass of angry people. Each knife flew straight and true. Each one struck a person and each person best into black flames, and exploded. At the sight of two of their own exploding made every one stop.

I unsheathed my swords, slowly. Each one sang a beautiful song as it exited the sheath, sigh of relief from the blade to once more be in battle. At the sight of the swords every one scattered, running for the doors. every one existent the two huge men and the one man that started it all. I stabbed my swords into the stone earth and briskly walked back to the blond me. the man with the hammer with the first to step in my way. He swung his massive hammer at me. I ducked under it with ease, When I came back up I grabbed the metal of the hammers handle, and it burst into blade flames. The large man let out a shriek of panic and let go. with one hand I swung the hammer and struck the recoiling man in the ribs, right where he had hit me. I could feel as well as hear the bones crack. The wind left his lungs and he fell to the ground, gasping like a fish before letting out a long moan of pain. I let the flaming metal slip between my fingers like mud and splash the ground bubbling and sizzling. the other large man stepped into my path, but eyed my hands as if I was going to turn him into a steaming puddle of goo. I stepped closer to him and he took a step back. I stepped forward again and again he stepped by. I took two steps forward and he jumped at me. before I could step to the side I felt his blade slide into my stomach, through it and just poke out the other side, just to the right of my spine. I felt blood begin to trickle from my mouth. Its salty, metallic taste on my tongue. I coughed, blood splattering the floor. I was really pissed now. I pushed forward, forcing my impairer back with me. I pushed harder, until I felt him slam into the serving table. I pulled myself out of the assailants grasp. He looked down at me in surprise. Before he could do anything I grabbed him by the hair and drove his face and my hand into to a fat fryer that was behind me. There were gasps from the crowd behind me and then I realized what I was doing. I wrenched the man's head out of the fryer and dropped him on the floor. His face was terribly burned but he would live, probably never have a date again but still live. My hand was burned worse than the man's face, I could actually see the bones and many of the tendons within. I turned to the blond gang master with a nasty smile.

Now I must have looked like something from a nightmare, a machete stuck in me, on hand terribly burned, I have just taken on this man's whole gang, should be dead but I'm still walking and smiling as I step closer to him. The thick sent of urine filled the air and a large wet spot appeared on his pants. His face was as white as paper. I saw a try of finger foods just to my right on the serving table. I grabbed one in each hand, held them up to my nose and breathed deep. The of mushroom, pepper, tomato, bezel, filled my senses but most of all came the scent of lemon. I stepped closer and gammed the finger food into the gang lord eyes, grinding them in.

"MY EYES! THEY BURN!" He scream as he fell to his knees and finally to the floor.

"That's the lemons that hurt." I said

Zerath walked over to me, looked down at what had just happened and asked "Did you just kill a man with an notary?"

I don't know. May be." I replied in a rough throated voice.

I looked up at his helmet seeing my reflection in it.

"You hungry?" I asked him.

"No, I eat while you were fighting. you want to head out?" he asked me.

"Just a sec, let me grab a donut." I replied

I surveyed the table before me found the donuts, I grabbed a cinnamon sugar covered one. I turned around just in time to see James walking out of the room at a quick walk.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Horrors den

We walked side by side as we passed own the wide hall. I munched on my donut thoughtfully, trying to build up the courage of ask a question for quite some time. Finally I asked the question.

"I've been wondering Zerath why you don't ever remove your armor." I asked in a cereuses but casual tone. As soon as the words left my mouth Zerath stopped dead in his tracks in the middle of the hall. I continued two steps before turning to face him. He slowly reached his hand up and tapped the button to open his face shield. As the mask opened I saw that his face was dark, foreboding and filled with both hate and pain.

"When I was barely six I was taken from my family. I was forced into training. I was taught to kill, disarm, immobilize, and even paralyze people. It was none stop training for years. I was trained to hate every one that was not with BIO. But that all changed the day I became no longer human. I was part of a program to create the perfect assassins. As part of the final process I had this armor welded onto my flesh, during this I had to be awake and perfectly aware of all the pain that was happening. They gave me drugs to keep me awake and not black out from the pain. From all that pain I lost my sanity, I broke free of my holding cell after the operation and killed every last one of the scientists behind my pain. No one would ever go through that pain which I had endured. I made a vow that day that BIO would fall by my hand. Because of the pain I had lost my sanity, I find that I can't think in the same straight line as everyone else. My thoughts are twisted and warped." Zerath looked me in the eyes until that last line. He looked ashamed of it.

I knew how he felt and I told him so.

"At least you reason for insanity is at least dramatic. I lost my sanity in elementary school. From the first day of kindergarten I was picked on my a large group of kids. I was never violent so I always ran. Over time the teasing got worse, they began to make fun of my hair, eyes, ears, and that I had no parents. With this insults that they threw at me, stones came close behind. I was beaten with sticks and hit with rocks every day. The teacher never saw it happening so they could do nothing. I finally snapped in sixth grade. Luckily this was before I had my powers or things might have gotten a little too messy. I came at the group with no stop, no remorse, no regret, I don't care what it meant. I remember that I never felt the stones as they struck but I do remember kicking all of their asses."

Zerath gave me a smile and we continued on.

When we came to the armory I found that I was the last to enter. The room was nothing more than a locker room with gray walls. As I walked every one turned to stare at me with blank looks of horror.

"What? Do I have donut on my shirt?" I asked to everyone. I had no idea why they were all staring at me.

"There's a knife stuck in your gut!" River shrieked as she pointed at it.

I looked down to find that I still had the machete in my gut. I sighed and wrenched it out with both hands. As the blade came free it made a sucking sound that made river run for the bath rooms.

"Hay does anyone have another machete that I could use, cus I normally work with pairs." I asked waving the blood stained blade in the air.

Krylica was the only one aside from Zerath that was not in shock. She only gave a sigh of annoyance, reached into her locker, withdrawing a machete and tossed it at me. I caught it blade first, the tip of it sticking out of the back of my hand. I pulled it out and found a locker with my name above it. I opened it to find individual plates of armor. Each plate was solid black and made of several interlocked pieces so that the wearer had more flexibility. I took off my trench coat and pulled on a shirt that was made of some black, tight fitting, flexible, stubby fabric. attached to the shirt plates guarded my chest, shoulders, upper arms, forearms, and back. I clipped on shin and thy armor. I saw Zerath and Bolt laughing, and Blot slapped Zerath on the back, nearly knocking him over.

"Bolt and Zerath are battle brothers. They have taken a blood oath to stand together and never abandon each other. Zerath has had six prier to Bolt and refuses to let Bolt die." came Krylica's voice from my right I turned to find her lasing up her left boot. I nodded at this trying not to show my surprise at Krylica's sudden appearance. I took another look around to try and regain my senses.

At this point everyone had regained their senses and were prepping their gear. I looked inside my locker and found it empty. I turned to Zerath walked up to him. "I do believe that this armory is quite devoid of armaments. Where do I get guns?" I asked him.

Zerath only smiled at me, his face mask still open. He then turned to a door I had not noticed there before. He opened it and ushered me through the door way. Within the door way was a dream come true, a wonderland of destruction just waiting to be unleashed. A narrow hall ran one hundred yards before stopping, the walls, from floor to ceiling were covered with guns. Guns over every shape and size. Some I could name but most I could not because I have always sucked wit gun names. I felt like a kid in a candy and toy store at once. I jumped from one gun to another, looking, testing weight, and the sights. Finally when I was armed down with two 9 mm, a pump action shot gun, a belt of grenades, a bandoleer of Shuriken (throwing stars), and another of shot gun shells I found a dream made solid.

At the very end of the hall was what at first looked to be a camera tripod. With its black and silver coloring and its oddly shaped form it looked like something a dream. What I thought were tripod legs were three spike arms, each had a green line running down the inside side. The trigger handle was horizontal with the floor as the gun stood in its display case. The trigger handle meant to he held the right hand while the left hand would hold the support handle on the top. I reached for the gun. Images flashed through my mind of what this weapon might do. Before I could even touch it Zerath stepped in the path of my hand.

"Oh no you don't. that toy is still in testing. The Matter Partial Disrupter won't be ready for the field for three more months and I'll be the one to use it."

As he said this he turned me around by the shoulders and shoved me all the way to the door.

I was shoved through the door, back into the locker room. Here every one else was set, Zerath with a short gun and a bag full to the brim of what looked to be explosives, both Bolt and River held mini guns, Worm a pistol, James held a SCAR rifle, and Krylica, held two 9 mm.

As one we headed out to the Garage, a huge underground hanger were all vehicles are held. There we all loaded into a huge infantry carrier.

A huge plane, with two limbs with helicopter blades at both the front and rear of the plane, but still with the jet wings and turbines attached to the main of the body.

As we all entered the carrier we had to squeeze around a combat truck that was strapped and hitched down in order for us to reach our seats. The carrier could hold up to forty men but it only held our little group and no one else. All of the seats were against the walls and facing inward. I found one seat right next to Zerath at the rows end. I slipped off my swords and other gear and placed it securely in the compartment above my head. I sat down and looked at the buckling system. the main clip was attached to a belt that came up between the legs and all the clips were attached to belts to my left, lower left, upper left shoulder, right lower right and upper right shoulder. As I strapped in Zerath leaned over, gestured to the main clip and said "this is all designed to give us men pain, I swear that it's all hateful women in the safety designing group for this plane."

I gave Zerath a confused look but before I could say a word I discovered what he meant when the plane lurched up and I got a sharp pain in my groin.

A loud groan of pain escaped my lips. Zerath only chuckled at my pain, sat back in his chair and relaxed. I looked at him in confusion. Why was he not in pain? Before the question even formed on my tongue Zerath had the answer.

"You don't think that I've been doing this for six years, and haven't come up with a way around the pain of take off?" He said as he wrapped his knuckles on the area. As he did so the sound of metal knocking came.

"Iron cup." was all he said after that.

The momentum of the plane changed to try and throw me toward the back of the plane. My seat belts were the only thing that stopped me from flying without wings.

All was quite in the plane, the only sounds were that of the wind rushing by, the hum of the turbines, and the constant drown of the propellers. I got the feeling that something was wrong, I know that this was my first mission but I knew that something felt wrong, every wrong. The carriers shuttered, shaking violently as its momentum began to drop. The plane slowed and I could feel as it began its descent. The loud sound of machinery moving, clicking, and whirring came from below and I knew that the landing gear was deploying. The whole craft jolted as it touched down. As the carrier landed, suddenly all of the seat began to pull backward, The walls parting and receded as the seats went. I had no idea what was going on, and had no idea what was next. Cold night air hit the back of my neck and wrapped around me, covering my in the stillness of night. I knew that I the side of the ship had just opened out into the night. My seat stopped pulling back with a shaky jerk and began to rotate around. I looked out into the night sky and the sleeping city. We were still in the outer city and I know that every none on the block had heard the touchdown. Guessed that either they believed in what we were doing, or they didn't what to be seen with us should the Guards come.

The row of seats as one began to descend, slowly lowering to the floor. Everyone else began to unbuckle and jumped down before the seats ever reached the ground. I did the same, unbuckling and jumping down, throwing in a forward flip for no reason at all. Our gear began to descend, just after the chairs, fallowing them down. We all loaded up and prepared to move out. As I finished suiting up and slipped on a spare set of throwing knives around my right leg Bolt lumbered over.

"I saw you jump down like the rest of us but with that fancy flip. Why don't you leave the dangerous stuff like that to us old timers." Bolt said in his deep rumbling voice.

I looked up at him with a rather annoyed look and asked "why not?"

He gave a deep throated chuckle and replied.

"Because the rest of us are over the drinking age and when you get hurt I'm not going to be the one to get stuck carrying you."

I lowered my head so the shadows deepened around my face, hunched my back slightly and gave Bolt a maniacal smile. Black and silver smoke began to roll off my back.

"I think I can handle myself." I said.

Bolt looked at me for a moment in surprise then burst into laughter.

"Well, well looks like we got us a suggestion, I see you got the smoke but where are the mirrors?"Bolt said after he had stopped laughing. Everyone but Krylica and Zerath laughed at the joke. Krylica looked at me with a worried look, and Zerath was a motionless statue with his face plate covering his expression. I could tell by his posture that he was not comfortable about this but he didn't know what to do.

In frustration I turned the smoke into black and silver flames that hissed, crackled and spat. Bolt jumped back, away from the flames.

"Looky here, we have us a Pyro, maybe we could use him for welding the doors and lighting the cigars for after." said Sayrx as he stepped closer to me. He pulled out a tooth pick and flicked it into the flames on my back. As the tooth pick entered the flame it vaporized. They all turned around and walked away. Krylica was about seven feet away and looked like she was crying, but I didn't get a good like because just then Capt James jumped in front of me.

"I don't know what the hell you are and I don't care. I know that you aren't human and that you should not be here. I am the commander here and I am not going to ruin my reputation here. Little Zerath isn't going to stand up for you because Bolt is his battle brother and he is not ready to lose him like the other six. Until you show me otherwise you are a meat shield." James said all of this in a harsh whisper.

He turned on his heel and walked over to the man hole cover in the middle of the street that everyone else had circled around. I looked back to see if Krylica was really crying but she was not there, she had joined the others. I walked over to join the others, feeling a little annoyed with the way every one had been treating me.

"Gane remove the cover to the man hole." James barked as soon as I was in the circle of people.

"Um, Captain don't you think that Gane is a little shrimpy for that."Bolt said in a worried tone.

"Enough with the questioning of my command!" James spat back at bolt.

Before things could escalate I knelt down and picked up the cover with one hand, as if it were only Styrofoam every one stared at me in surprise. My other hand began to glow with black light. I ran the glowing hand over the rim of the cover. As my hand passed over it the rim pulled back leaving a bladed edge. With my new weapon I jumped into the awaiting darkness. I didn't know what awaited me down there but I was not going to be caught flat footed or unarmed down there. I didn't care if I was a walking arsenal of upcoming death, the only comfort that I felt was in holding a weapon I just made.

My eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness and my nostrils were accosted by the over powering cent of the fragrant sewers. As the rancid odor of the sewers assaulted my senses, my eyes filled with tears, and I began to chock, cough and gage at the heavy smells.

I quickly regained my fortitude and headed forward. The others fallowed close behind me, each with their own light source. Zerath who held the rear had lights as part of his helmet, Krylica had a flash light attached to her gun, James had a light as part of his SCAR rifle, Bolt had a light as part of the shoulder of his mechanical arms, River had a shoulder mounted one as will but only on a clip, Sayrx had a Mag light duct taped to his helmet, and Worm had glow sticks attached to his entire suit. Everything was quite aside from the sound of running water and Worms constant rambling.

"You know that they say that there is something down here. No one knows what it is but repair men always go missing down here. I had twin cousins that were both repair men. One of them came home one day, white as a ghost and he kept babbling about some monster that eat his brother." Worm went on, and on. Krylica turned around to face Worm, jammed her gun in his face and spoke in a low whisper that I caught with my inhuman ears.

"I swear that if you don't shut up right now I'm going to be finding a new hacker after I'm done blowing your brains to hell." Krylica said in the low whisper. After that Worm never spoke again.

The whole trip Capt James was the person behind me, and I could feel his eyes burning holes into the back of my head. A smile crept across my face at the thought of how I had shown him up without even trying.

The quite was almost more unnerving as the ramblings of Worm. The walls of the sewers were stone but there were moments when it looked to me as if the stone was turning to bricks and we were going back in time. The only light was from what the others used and from this light the shadows danced, seeming to be moving in a rhythm that only they know. A rhythm that was lost to the time before man walked. I knew that the dancing shadows were nothing more than my imagination but they seemed so real. I never voiced my thoughts as we moved deeper into the tunnels.

After a while strange white fungus began to appear on the walls. After a bit this strange fungus completely covered the walls of the sewer tunnel. As we went on the white fungus only continued, never thinning at one point or another, if anything it was getting thicker. I stopped dead in my tracks. Every one stopped as well, all eyes on me, but no word spoken for fear of bringing whatever lived own here to us. I turned to face the wall to my left. I slowly reached out my hand before I touched the fungus like stuff. It was moist, and sticky, really sticky. When I tried to pull my hand away from the wall the fungus held my hand fast allowing little movement. I had to light my hand with black flames in order to melt it and even then it left thick strands of the stuff as I pulled my hand away. I looked behind me, past the angry looking James and at Worm.

"Hay Worm can you scan this stuff?" I asked in a low voice. James shot me a nasty look and spoke in a low but harsh voice.

"You don't give the orders around here I do." James spat at me. He then turned to Worm and said

"Scan this shit, now!"

Worm nodded and without saying a word pulled out a large needle from his messenger bag that he carried. The needle had wires on one end that Worm plugged into the bottom of his clip board sized computer. He stabbed the needle into the white fungus on the walls and watched as the data flowed down his computer screen. After a few moments he read his findings.

"Well its organic but not plant based, fungus, or even bacteria based, it looks to have been made by an animal." Worm said his voice holding an edge of fear.

A list of creatures that could have left this behind flowed through my mind, and I didn't like any of them. At this point not even a giant killer butterfly would not be liked.

My fingers clenched tighter around the bladed man hole lid, turning my knuckles white.

After a moment of contemplation we all moved on. Panicked thoughts flooded my head, what was the thing that's making this white fungus, what if its right behind us, what if its above us? Sweat began to build on my braw. I couldn't tell if it was the worry, the enclosed space, or the darkness that was doing this to me. I normally wasn't so panicky, or paranoid. My panic as put to rest soon when we exited the tunnel and entered a huge, domed room. Here the floor was slightly higher and just above the water level, but the center of the room had a divot that was filled with the sickly water. The walls were steep and covered in the white fungus too.

I breathed a sigh of relief and began to relax. Now we were in an open area and the monster whatever it was could not surprise us. Suddenly there was a blur of movement, a thundering crash and a loud splash. In the center of the room was a bolder that had just fallen from the ceiling. But I knew better than to think it was a bolder. But I could not bring myself to believe what I knew it was.

I large head came up from beneath the huge two segmented body, black eyes glittering with hate, hunger, and madness. Every aside from worm stepped in front of me and began to split up so that it had to focus on one of them at a time. Worm took two steps back into the darkness and waited. For the whole thing to blow over.

I stood were I was, frozen, staring at the horrible monster in front of me. My mind was drowning in panic, and hysteria. I hate spiders, I _Really_ hate spiders. I was falling into a memory, that I had pushed away, an old memory.

I was five years old, living at the orphanage as I had and would for years to come. I was playing in the woods with near the orphanage, with some of the other kids. It was nothing more than a good game of hide and seek. I ran, weaving in and out of trees, jumping over rocks.

I had to find the super hiding spot. The one where no one not even the grownups could find me.

I stopped In the afternoon shadow of a huge oak tree. In the roots of the oak was a small cave. With a huge smile on my face I got down on my hands and knees and crawled into the cave. As soon as I was all the way in I turned around to face the entrance to my new super secret hiding spot. I sat down, and hugged my knees to my chest. At was when the ground under me gave way. The ground cracked and broke under me. I fell, landing hard on the ground bellow. The small cave the I was stuck in was filled with dust, I chocked on it coughing hard to clear my lungs. When the dust cleared I saw that the small cave was covered in white stuff, and I was covered in clumps of dirt. But it was not dirt, it was spiders. Hundreds of spiders covered my body, more types of spiders then I could count. All of them staring up at me with their black, soulless, hateful eyes. I screamed in terror. I looked up to see light flowing down from where I had first entered the tree. I looked up farther to find up above my head was the center of the trees roots and sitting upside down on the center was a horror. A huge furry spider the size of a dinner plate stared down at me. It fell onto my head with a thump causing me to scream again in panic. But the real screaming started when the huge spider sank its huge fangs into my scalp, after that all the other spiders began to bit me too. I screamed in agenized pain. I jumped forward an began climbing up toward the light. If I could get out the grownups would find me. And then they would fix it they could fix anything. I hit the light screaming and shaking my head. I ran, and didn't stop. After that I was rushed to the emergency room where I had gotten shot after shot, after hot of anti venom. Thanks to those evil spiders I had not only gained arachnophobia but needle phobia as well. My fear gave the monster within a chink to work through. Suddenly I was back in the huge room. Everyone was dealing with the Behemoth spider. It swung at James, who ducked just in time, the failing swing giving bolt an opening to fire at the spider with his mini gun.

The bullets seemed to have no effect on the spider except to anger it more. As all of this happened six shapes move silently to the ground on strands of silk. They all looked the same, Huge wolf spiders the size of wolves (no pun intended). They came down from the shadows of the ceiling. The new enemies formed a circle around my squad, who never saw them because they were too busy with the Behemoth spider. I was frozen, unable to move. But then I felt to come thing up inside of me. A horrible thing that held no thought, only the want to kill and the need to bring suffering and pain. It took over my body, flowing through me like a poison. An inhuman smile crossed my face, which was now its face. It looked down at the man hole cover for a moment before throwing it with all its might like a Frisbee. The disk of bladed death, arced to the left sharply, turning horizontal, cutting one of the wolf spiders clean in half, bisecting it to make two perfect halves. The body split apart with a sickening squishing sound before falling to the ground, leaking green mush. The saucer of doom continued its deadly hunt, unimpeded by the spider that was once in its path. The disk flew, continuing its arc, It struck the huge spider in the top of its rear segment, It struck and sank it half way deep, imbedding itself in the armor of the spider. Arms splayed, it turned my hands into claws. With a single mighty leap it jumped through the air to land on a second wolf spider, crushing it under my feet, its hideous legs curled inward, still twitching. With a second leap The monster that controlled my body went for the Behemoth spider. It had almost made it to the huge arachnid but the spider seemed to sense my presence. The spider whipped around one if its huge, spiked legs, and caught me in the chest. The strike knocked the wind from my lungs, and sent me flying. I slammed into a webbed wall and stuck. The Beast that now controlled my body was in a state of panic, thrashing and struggling against the webs that held it to the wall. This thrashing only entangled it worse.

The Behemoth spider set loose an ear splitting screech that shook the cave. In response a black ocean of spiders came washing down the walls from the shadows above. The spiders came closer and closer to where I was stuck, both mentally and physically. The mindless Beast within went wild at that point, forgetting about for the moment and concentrating individually on getting out of this webbing. I took this to my advantage, and with one huge thought I shot at the Beast "BURN THE WEBBING!"

At that moment something both awesome, and terrifying happened. The Monster within my soul, and I became on. The creativity, ingenuity, critical thinking of me combine with the instincts, ferocity, and brute strange of an animal. You might think that would be good but I felt no happiness, kindness, love, or joy. I only felt the need to kill the spiders and make them pay, to make them hurt for everything that they had done to me. I wrapped the clawed hands in the webbing and light in ablaze with black and silver flames just as the wave of spiders was about to engulf me. As one the moving ocean of legs and fangs stopped, a shudder moving through it, then it began to reseed back into the shadows. But the flames eat at the webbing, running up and down the spiders vile snare. I jumped off the wall pushing off toward the massive abomination that everyone else was dealing with. As I came closer once more to my target, once more the creature turned to face me, and once more threw its massive leg at me. But this time I opened my wings at the last moment to lift me up just above the spiders leg. I enclosed my wings and hit the side of the spiders mid section. I wrapped my arms around one of the joints of the spiders huge legs. I pulled up to wrap my legs around the joint, as I did so I unsheathed my machetes. I stabbed each one into a joint, immobilizing two legs on the abominations right side. I jumped up onto the creatures back, drawing my shot gun as I did so. I aimed down between my legs and pulled the trigger. the shot only bounced off the armor of the monster. I fired again and again but nothing changed. I looked around to see if there was something better for me to use to crack this shell. Then I saw the bladed man hole cover. I jumped on the rear segment of the spiders body. I shot at the area where the cover was imbedded. the shot bounced but the cracks left from the cover spread. I fired again and the armor around man hole cover caved inward forming a hole that was about a foot in diameter. Within the hole I could now see green slug and what must have been some kind of organs. I fired off another shot into the green squishy goo. The spider screeched in pain , bucking to try and get me off. I flew up into the air and got to see what was going on up on the ceiling. I never struck it but I could see from my black and silver flames that the once endless ocean of spiders was now scrabbling over each other to reach the center of the ceiling where the fire had not yet reached the egg sacks. On the fall back down I could see that the flames had engulfed the entire room from wall to wall but not touching the floor. I flipped once while in the air so that I could land a little closer to the head then where I was going to land.

I hit hard on the spiders mid section, landing face first.

I pulled myself up, unclipped three grenades, cracked the pins out and chucked them over my shoulder, and into the large hole I left open in the spiders rear segment. I unsheathed one of my swords and gammed it into the spiders mid section. Another screech came from the creature as I did this and another as I twisted around, doing further damage. I withdrew the sword, now cover in green slime and with a quick sweep removed two legs from the spiders left side. This Threw the spider off balance and caused it to topple to ground

I jumped forward, landing just behind its head. I switched my sword into a reverse grip so the point of the blade faced down. The spider looked up at me, its eye filled with hate, anger, pain, and maybe fear. I smiled down at it, my smile holding no sense of happiness only manic hate and rage.

"Here's Johnny!" I said in a deep, gruff, gravelly voice as I looked the spider in the eyes. I thrust the blade downward, jamming it into the vile things head. "Ya, that's right you eight legged freak, how do you like that?" I shouted at the dead body as I twisted the blade to the right hard before I removed it. I stepped off the body, sheathed my sword, and calmly walked away. Everything was frozen, all eyes on me, both human and spider. Without the Behemoth spider to lead them they were lost. The corpse of the spider exploded, shacking the room as it did so. green guts rained down, covering everything, and causing the eldritch flames to hiss.

No remorse, no regret, we don't care what it meant, another day, another death, another sorrow, another breath, I thought to myself.

A scream cut through the air. I turned toward the origin of the scream to see Krylica laying in a heap in the floor and a wolf spider standing over her. I jumped forward, running at top speed. I unsheathed one of my swords again. As I met the spider, I hit it with a quick downward sweep, splitting it in half.

I reach Krylica, sheathed my blade and knelt down beside her. I held her and looked all across her body, there was no wounds aside from a scratch of two. She was awake, staring up at the ceiling, I looked up fallowing her gaze to see that the entire ceiling was covered in black fire. I extinguish the flames with a thought and looked back down at Krylica to find her blinking up at me in surprise, and confusion. Something flashed in her eyes for a moment before she looked past me and pushed away.

"What do you think you're doing? what's going on?" She said in confusion. I looked behind me to find that everyone had gathered around me and Krylica. She got to her feet and stared around the battle field, then looked at me. I slowly stood, clearing my throat as I did.

"We were fighting the spiders, and um, you screamed and fell to the floor." When I came over to see what was wrong you were staring up at the ceiling. When I put out the flames you turned back to your old self." I explained.

"What was that all about?" I asked Krylica, my voice heavy with worry.

She turned her back on me, holding herself as if cold.

"Nothing, I just have had some back experiences with fire." She said in a low voice. It sounded to me like she was afraid and embarrassed of what ever had happened to her with fire. But I had no time to figure out what had happened to Krylica because everyone else was looking at me, as if I was a strangely colored rat in a cage with over sized claws. They all looked at me with a mixture of confusion, disgust, worry, and hate.

"Well I think that we have us here a mutant." Sayrx said his beady eyes glaring at me with strong distaste as if I was a five month old sandwich.

"I don't know Sayrx, mutants aren't that smart and usually try to kill us on sight." Bolt pointed out.

"I don't know, I've heard that BIO has been working on spy mutants, maybe he's a field test." Worm said.

"Let's cut him open and see." River said as she raised her mini gun to my chest, the barrels starting to spin. James laid his hand on the gun and pushed it down.

"No let's give him a chance to explain first, if I don't like it then we use him as a meat shield while we finish the mission, after that dead or alive will throw him to the egg heads for dissection." James said with a nasty smirk.

I took a deep breath and began my explanation.

"My name is Gane Madoc. I'm not human, never was never will be. I was born in 1993, and I grew up in an orphanage not knowing my parents and I still don't. I am, hell I don't know what I am, all that I do know is that I woke up in a cave and found that the world has been blasted to shit. Now think of me what you will but I'm going to make BIO corp. pay for all that they have done to me and everyone else."

Before any one could say anything, I pushed my way out of the group and continued on my way. No one spoke to me after that, Krylica and Zerath stood right behind me as we continued through the tunnels, Zerath was quite and looked to be moving with a purpose. With his shot gun in hand he moved, every motion seemed to hold meaning to him. Krylica behind Zerath moved slowly and every time I looked back at her she looked away.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Nightmares living in the Shadows

When we finally reached our destination it had seemed like we had been walking for an eternity and a half. We reached a man hole and without being told, lifted it up and quietly moved it to one side. I pocked my head up out of the hole to see what I was going to get into. It was a small room with a low ceiling. The walls were completely covered in pipes, many hissing with high pressured steam, while others rattled loosely.

I climbed out keeping a sharp eye and quick ear out for anything that might cause trouble. The light was low in the room but my keen eyes picked out all the details, and nothing moved or looked to even be able to move.

I found a tall star case hidden in one corner of the room, once every one was out I began to climb them. At the top there was a heavy, metal door that blocked our path, a shaft of light lanced through a half inch crack under the door. I held up my hand for everyone to stop and hold position. I knelt low to peek under the crack of the door. Just behind the door I saw a large pair of boots that could only have belonged to a Guard. I pressed my index and middle finger to the ground just under the door. I let Eldritch power flow through me and under the door in a neon black and silver streak of paint like color. The power ran across the floor and up the Guards leg, past his chest plate and into his helmet. He immediately began convulsing uncontrollably. The body fell to the ground and lay still as a tomb stone. I stood up, melted the door handle into a black and silver glowing pile of goop. I pushed the door open, shaking the melted but not hot goop from my fingers.

"You gotta love Eldritch paint." I said in a low voice.

Every one fallowed me out, Zerath coming last as he placed C4 around the door frame. I gave him a questioning look and before I could ask the question shaping on my lips he answered it.

"Gotta cover our exit when we leave." He whispered.

I nodded, understanding what was going on now.

The building was a labyrinth, only with low ceilings, walls that were once white now with a green tint and very ill kept. turn after turn we walked fallowing Worm and his computer that held the map data in it, all though sometimes I would have sworn he was playing Tetris on it.

More than once we found ourselves walking down long halls that were lined with huge metal cell doors. All of these doors were huge and looked to be at least an inch and a half thick with only a small slot for someone to look through. all the cells were dark but no one was willing to even get close to the doors, which was a little hard given how narrow the halls were.

The strange thing was even though we ever avoiding the Guard patrols we should have been to at least twice, once because Worms tripped and landed eight feet in front of a pair of patrolling guards. The couldn't have missed him even if they were blind because of the curses to let out after he fell. Worm crawled back into his hiding spot and they Guards walked on as if the hadn't seen anything.

I figured it was because they thought we were going to get eaten in a cage or something.

After that we continued with the utmost caution, prepared for everything to come crumbling down on top of us, of figuratively and literally.

Nothing happened and we made it to the core power generators. We made it but we weren't out of the woods yet, we still had to place the bombs and get out.

We came to a huge metal door that was bigger than the rest but to my surprise there was no key pad, thumb scanner of retina scanner at all. The door had no security. Bolt walked up, turned the door handle lever and with a great heave he pulled the door open. We all walked inside to find whatever were looking for and I learned why there was no security outside the door. Inside, it was a massive from with a low ceiling like the rest of the building and five feet in front of us was a four foot tall, silver metal cylinder with an angled top surface were a hollow graphic key pad floated. Behind the cylinder lay a floor to ceiling , wall to wall electric fence, the links made from barb wire and with razor wire inter laced between every link.

James Stepped in front of everyone and struck a pose. His hands on his hips, feet spread in a wide stance, he stood there looking at the fence as if he had the spot light on him in some movie.

James turned his head so we could hear him better.

"Worm... you know what to do."

Worm stepped past James and knelt down before the metal cylinder. He pulled out a tangle of multi colored cords out of his bag and began connecting them his computer. He the banged his fist on the side for the cylinder, popping a door open were he began connecting the other sides of the cords.

"Ya, let the worm do his thing and work some magic." he said in an almost musical voice as his fingers flew across the computer screen he was working on.

"Finger magic." Worm said in a really of tune musical voice.

The hollow graphic key pad flickered, then began rolling up, then rolling down, the it fell apart into thousands of ones and zeros. After a second the hook up between Worms computer and the cylinder began to spark, Worm u hooked the cords from his computer and he casually walked back.

Blots of electricity arced across the cylinders surface and the whole thing began to blacken.

The fence fell, pulling back into the floor.

"What did you do?" I asked in curiosity.

Worm strode up to me and said "I preformed an introvershal data feedback relay loop, that was synced to the mainframes paradox inversion fire wall backdoor. Or for the stupid people here I gave the computer fake information and gave it a head ach." he said the last line with a really annoying grin that made me want to break his teeth. But I held my resolve and just nodded to be polite.

James turned to Zerath and nodded at him.

"Hide the Easter egg and set the dinner bell." He said, his voice level.

Zerath nodded, shouldered his pack of explosives and he and Bolt set off into the rows of turbine reactors. The rest of us took watch, staying close to the door and keeping an eye on it.

Once Zerath and Bolt came back, the bag of explosives empty We all regrouped.

"Alright people! We have fifteen minutes to haul ass and get the hell out of Doge. If you get stuck in here we are going to be greeting our new friends, the mutants. Let's Move!" James said, giving us the same description of our exit as Nick.

We all turned and exited the room, a room that would soon be filled with flaming remnants of the generators. As we left the room a voice came over the intercom of the building.

"Well Gane I knew you would be coming. Since my pets in the basement, and The Evolutionary hunters failed to kill you, I guess I had to do things my way." Came Lilith's voice over the intercom. My face drained of color as soon as I heard the voice. The was a thunderous clap, the whole building shook and the huge metal door behind us, the one hiding the generators, blew off its hinges and flew down the long dark hall, barely missing Krylica and I as it launched down the narrow hall. A spilt second later the lights gave out and we were all plunged into shadow.

"I hope you have fun with my pets here, cus they are oh so hungry and oh so lonely." Came Lilith's voice from the shadows only this time it sounded like she was in the room with us. I couldn't tell where because her voice came from everywhere at once. The deafening sound of screeching metal against metal came from everywhere as well, closely followed by the unearthly screams of the beast now loose on the world. The screams of the creatures Guard, worker, and scientist victims filled the air like a maddening chorus of pain, death, torture and blood.

As all of this happened the backup lights kicked in, low barely able to provide light and giving everything a hellish red tint. This was not good, Lilith knew that we were coming, how? That didn't matter I had just put everyone here in terrible, terrible danger. I needed to fix this.

I spun around to Bolt and River, I had an idea and I needed to put it into action now.

"River, Blot I need you two to main hall, shoot anything that moves, we need time to get the another way out." I said, my voice strong, but not harsh.

"Worm give me options, I betting that our original plan is down the garbage disposal."

Bolt and River took positions up front, heavy weapons prepped and ready. Worm looking very pale began typing on his computer.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ALL ARE DOING! THIS IS MY SQUAD, IM IN CHARGE NOT YOU!" James exploded.

His back was to a shadowed corner and he looked like he was about to kill every one of us with his bare hands. Every one stared at him in shocked surprise.

"THIS IS MY SQUAD NOT YOURS, I AM IN COMMAND! YOU DO WHAT I SAY WHEN I SAY IT! YOU DONT THINK, YOU DONT ACT, YOU ONLY DO! IF I TELL YOU TO STRIP AND DANCE ON THE TABLE THEN YOU DO, IF I TELL YOU TO DIE THEN YOU DIE! YOU DONT THINK BECUASE YOU CANT! YOU ARE ALL USELESS PILES OF MEAT!" James went on.

Suddenly James was cut off as he stopped for breath when he leaned back into the shadows, hiding his head. He then fell forward, hitting the floor with a thump, a huge growing pool of blood were his head should have been. Every one screamed in terror and jumped back.

I looked up into the shadows where James head had once been. Here, his head floated in the air still holding his angry, pissed expression, clutching his hair were six long, skeletal, clawed fingers. I looked past that head to find a nightmare.

I long demonic face, frozen in a twisted scream, mouth filled with row upon row of needle point teeth, huge empty eye sockets starring out at me from under a pair of huge horns. The Creature placed James decapitated head into its mouth. It bit down hard, teeth sinking into the flesh and powerful jaws crushing the bone, distorting the face into a nightmare of its own before it shattered, sending brain matter, blood and bone shards in every direction.

I cringed at the sight of gruesome horror. The creature Stopped chewing what was left of James and turned to look at me, gore dripping from its lipless jaws. It opened its mouth even wider and let out a terrible scream that made everyone to their knees holding their ears. I pressed my hands against my ears and posted myself against the wall to my left. The creature stopped screaming and lunged at me. It was then I saw its full body. Its slim, skeletal, starved looking form struck me in the chest. I fell back, all four of the beasts arms clawing at me, rending flesh and drawing blood.

I Yelled out in pain, thrashing, struggling to get away from the creature now atop me trying to remove my head from its mantel atop my shoulders. It screamed in my face, drawing close, close enough for me to smell the rot on its breath. I slammed my own skull against its face. The strike sent it back reeling. I took the chance and brought both my knees to my chest, I plated both feet on the things small chest and launched it. It struck the wall behind it, cracking the stone, before it fell to the ground. I pulled myself back up to my feet, ready to take this new opponent on but on my terms.

The thing pulled its self up, stunned from my blow. Now I saw that it not only had four arms, but was five feet fall, with a long scorpion tail that curled up over its head. this time it was my turn to tackle it before it knew what was going on. I lunged at it, wrapping my arms around its middle section, forcing it to the ground using what little weight I had. It screamed in confutation and panic as I brought it to the ground. Its tail shot at me, missing my head by no more than an inch or so. I let go of one of my hands and grabbed the tail to stop it from trying to give me a piercing. The creature jerked forward and clenched its needle teeth on my neck. The teeth missed the critical vain and artery but sank deep behind them. I let out a roar of pain and tightened my grip on its tail. Without a thought or aiming I plunged its own tail into the side of its head. It let go of my neck and pulled back to scream but it never got the chance. I withdrew its tail and lanced it through the creatures mouth. The stinger tore through the creatures flesh and stuck out the back of its neck. A strange gurgling sound came from its throat as it tried in vain to scream. I grabbed the stinger as it stuck out of its neck, and brought it back around to jammed it into the creatures empty right eye socket. Its body loosened and slumped backward. I stood up, grasping the already sealing holes in my neck. It wasn't lethal but it _really_ hurt. I stood and looked at the others as they all stared at me. I hate it when people stare.

"All right, can we please get out of this god forsaken hell hole." I said more than a little angry.

"Well that shouldn't take long. I have our exit plan." worm said not looking up from his computer. He sounded calm but his face shown with panic.

"Alright you little computer geek, get us the hell out of here before we're turned into monster kibble." Sayrx said hefting his sniper over his shoulder.

A strange gurgling sound came up behind me, everyone that was staring at me looked past me. I turned around to find the four armed monster not quite as dead as I had expected. It came flying at me, and with a blur of motion was it hung in the air, dead. A knife hilt sprouted from its forehead and a neatly trimmed hand held the hilt. I found Krylica to be the owner of the hand that had killed my attacker.

"No thanks, it's only a waste of breath that could be used to get us out of here. What's the plan fluffy?" Krylica spoke in a level voice that was monotone but held an edge of annoyance.

I cringed at the last word Krylica said, not quite happy that she was mocking my...inner problems, but I kept my mouth shut. I nodded and looked at Worm.

"You got the map, I got the plan." I said.

I gave everyone my plan, with where we were moving, when, and in what formation. We spoke fast, I gave everyone the basics of the plan and let them mull it over change almost the whole thing as they pointed out the weak points a flaws. I am skipping over the moment because of the language and the arguing. Trust me I am saving you a lot of pain there.

After five minutes of the squabbling about the proper line of defense, path to take and who goes where we finally came to a compromise.

Bolt would take the front fallowed by Zerath, then me then Krylica, Worm, Sayrx, then finally River taking up the rear.

We walked slowly but kept an even pace, as we moved down the hall we had first come from. Bolt slowly opened the door, to show all of shadow. After a moment of hesitation he stepped through it. We all fallowed one by one. As we moved the building was alive with screams and shrieks of thing both human and inhuman. At the end of the hall a single long light swung, back and forth, attached only at one end, It flicked with half power, not enough to keep a steady light but enough to scare the hell out of me. I have seen horror movies and played horror video games enough to know that this was a bad sign. We moved forward keeping one eyes in front of us and the other on the shadows. I clasped a 9 mm in one white knuckled and I grasped the hilt of one of the swords on my back with the other. One by one we ducked under the light, Zerath taping it with the muzzle of his shot gun as he slipped under. As we passed under a scream of a victim rang out every close to where we're, It could have been no more than a room or two over in the hall just to our right. We all stopped dead, for a moment as the screaming was cut off abruptly. After a moment of silence we all looked at each other and continued.

The halls were silent with a strange feeling about them as if someone, or something was watching you. After a short walk I found us stopped again. We had found a light in the center of the hall, with some power but like the one before it was flickering, under the light lay a body, it lay there, untouched by man nor beast. It lay still, un breathing, un moaning, un moving. Its flesh was a gray that shown no life, but it shown no signs of being attacked. I could not see the face, but judging by the amount of blond hair, I figured it was not someone of the age that would die of fright. I stepped forward to poke the corpse with my pistol. I moved forward with the utmost silence. I was about to pass Bolt at the head of the line when a hand shot out from behind me, grasping my shoulder with a death grip. I nearly jumped out of my skin, but I turned back to find Krylica, shaking her head, mouthing the word "No". She pushed forward, stepping up to stand before the body, she raised her pistol, aiming at the body's head. A crack rang out as Krylica put three shots in the already dead man's head. Bone lay in fragments all around the in caved head, blood seeping out of the new holes, carrying chunks of gray brain matter with the flow.

Krylica turned back with a grin.

"Now that's how you get rid of a Zombie-" Krylica started, but she was cut off when a blur of black motion flew from the ceiling and slammed into her chest, sending her flying into a wall rendering her unconscious. Another blur of motion and then I was swept aside, like a broken toy. Bolt stepped forward, aiming his gun into the shadows of the ceiling. He fired, a wave of bullet after bullet into the shadows, sending bits and pieces of ceiling down atop every one. There was a gargled scream, followed by a shapeless mass falling to the ground just within the visibility of the light. I stood up slowly trying to not fall forward, to see what it was and if it was dead. A black, purple, pile of shapeless flesh lay just in the light, across it several eyes of differing shapes, sizes, and styles rolled and finally locking on me. Seven tentacles reached out of the boneless pile of flesh, each tipped with a jagged looking spike length of my forearm. I jumped back out of its reach, or so I thought, for I found a spike stuck in my shoulder, sending a shooting pain through me, I let out a scream of pain, that curtailed blood, and stopped hearts. I fell to my knees, my other hand grasping the spike sticking out of my shoulder. I fell, the fiery pain, like I had never felt, ran up my shoulder, and down my arm. More of the spiked tentacles came at me but were lurched back, a loud bang emanating from behind me. I know the sound of a shot gun, and I silently thanked Zerath for jumping in when he did. The sound of a mini gun came again right behind me, the sound was deafening but the effect was gratifying. Goo splattered up out of the creature, bullets now visible inside the gelatinous body that then I noticed to be almost translucent. The onrush of bullets came from above, and struck with a sound like rocks hitting wet mud. The creature fell back into the shadows, emitting a strange almost gurgling screaming sound as it reseeded into the shadows of the hall. Then River stepped up beside Bolt and let loose with her mini gun as well.

I fell onto my side, everything sounded distant, and the room spun. That spike was poisoned, and I was not immune to it. I could see Krylica was getting up to her feet, holding her head weakly.

The fire over head stopped, as Zerath jumped over me, his light attached to his helmet showing the creature in the corner. I saw him, lung at the ooze, with something in his hand. The next thing I knew Zerath was grappling with the ooze, one of his hands punched into it and stuck. At this time I found my head was propped up on something soft. I looked up and found that Krylica was holding my head in her lap as she watched Zerath. I looked back at Zerath just to see him kick off of the creature. He launched himself a good seven feet. He hit the ground and rolled to his feet, on the hand he had stuck in the creature a grenade pin saw stuck there like a ring. Then I fell into black with the last sound being a defending thunder clap.

"You stupid dumb ass. You should have dodged that shot." Came Krylica's voice out of the blackness of unconsciousness. Once more my head was pounding, but this time so was my left shoulder.

I opened my eyes, to find I was face up in a small concrete room with a single red emergency light in the ceiling. Krylica sat over me with a needle in one hand and a wet rag in the other. Bolt stood at the doorless door way to the small room, Zerath was leaning against the wall keeping an eye on me as he cleaned hid gun, Sayrx was in a corner messing with the scope on his rifle, River was next to him counting ammo, and Worm was in the opposite corner messing with his little computer.

I groaned and sat up. Everyone looked at me in surprise as I moved. I shook my head to try and clear the grogginess.

Sayrx turned to his sister.

"Damn I owe you fifty bucks."

River chuckled, picked up a large caliber bullet and shook it in his face.

"Told you he'd live. He isn't human and has taken a beaten worse than that and walked away." She said.

"Ya but we pumped him full of enough anti toxins to kill an elephant."

"And I'm guessing that's why my head feels like its fallen from a low orbit." I said as I propped myself up on one elbow and rubbed my head with my free hand.

My shoulder felt pretty bad, like I had torn the ACL in it. I looked over at my bad shoulder to see it was bandaged, and blood soaked. I reached for be bandages but Krylica reached out with blinding speed and grabbed my wrist. I looked at her for a long moment, trying to figure out how she moved so fast. It had to be the toxin still in my veins.

I slowly moved my hand out of her grasp.

"Its fine, it should be healed my now." I said

She slowly lowered her hand as I unwrapped my shoulder. I dropped the blood socked fabric to the floor, and pulled up my sleeve. What I found was a startle for me. There a large hole stood in my shoulder just above the joint, dried, crusty blood rimmed the wound and covered the in side holding back the flow of blood from leaving my body. But as I watched the flesh of my blooded shoulder ever so slowly knitted its self back together. It pulled the back together, faster then humanly possible but slower then normal for my healing speed. It looked like it would heal in a few minutes but in this situation that was to long we had to move. The sudden scuttling outside of the fall fallowed by Bolt setting loose a flurry of bullets only strengthen my thought of leaving this nightmare with padded walls. I tried to stand, pulling myself to my feet only to fall forward and land on my face. I looked up to find Zerath and Krylica standing above me both with hands extended in offer to help. I gave them a mischievous smirk and took both hands. They pulled my up and helped support me.

"Let's get moving, the faster with get out of here the better."I said.

Sayrx threw his gun over his shoulder in a dramatic pose and said.

"Hell it's about time, for once the plan is simple and straight forward."

"Not quite." said Krylica. She turned to Worm.

"What is the fastest wrought out of here?" Krylica asked.

He looked down at his computer and scratched his head.

"It looks like the main door is our best bet. It's the closest and wont take us through what look to be giant holding rooms which I'm guessing holds lots and lots of nasty's."

Krylica nodded and turned around thinking about something.

"What's the problem?" I asked.

"The main door is one floor above us and we don't know how many creatures are wondering the halls."

"Well I guess will just poke our heads out and count them wont we." Zerath said in a sarcastic voice.

Krylica turned to glare at him but stopped as she faced him. She froze, the gleam of an idea radiated from her eyes.

"Actually your not to far off." She said as she turned to Worm.

"How far do the holding cells go? Will they be close to the stares or elevator?"

Worm gave her a confused look for a moment before typing on his computer.

"Well Lady Crazy I don't know what you got going through your head but I know it aint good for any one. The doors come within five feet of twenty foot a hall that leads to the elevator shaft and within five feet to a forty foot hall that leads to the stars."

"Good, which is closer to us?" Krylica asked. Now she had a look that said she had an idea and was not giving it up no matter what.

"They are both the same distance from us now. In fact we will be fallowing the same path to both till the last second when it forks." Worm said with a tone of suspicion.

"Now just what the hell are you planning?" asked Sayrx.

Krylica turned to him, with a quick, yet nasty smile.

"Simple we play leap frog. We will use the rooms as cover and hiding and jump from one to the next, avoiding what we can and killing what we can't."

"Well its official, your nuts." River said as she said.

"To bad I like crazy." I said stepping in.

"Shall we take the Elevator or stares?" I asked.

Krylica smiled at me and said "I'm thinking the Elevator, less chance of meeting creepy crawlies."

"Well I'm up for a little stroll in the halls. Any one else care to join me?"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Prancing through Hell

We moved quickly and silently, jumping from room to room and stopping only when something was close. We never met any creatures face to face and never had to fire but twice we heard gun fire just down the all closely fallowed by a scream of the shooter getting devoured by some hideous monster.

The true horror didn't begin till we reached the cross roads.

We were three rooms away from making a clean run to the fork in the road and taking a hard left. We sprinted from one room to the next, there was nothing in the hall as far as we could see but we didn't take any chances. First came me as I ran across, I was the fastest and would be the most likely to live should anything tackle me out of the shadows. I jumped into the shadows filled room ready for anything from the hall or the room. Nothing moved to eat me. Next came Zerath and Krylica. Krylica ran while Zerath shoulder rolled across the hall, looking like a complete idiot. I slapped the palm of my hand to my face, unable to believe that a veteran of war and battle could look like such a fool.

After that came Worm and Sayrx. Bolt and River were the last to move across, moving fast and keeping an eye open for any movement.

We all hid in the shadows waiting for a long moment that seemed to never stop. When I felt that it was safe, I lunged across the hall, into the next room, my feet never touching the floor of the hall. I landed with a shoulder roll, to a kneeling position. Then came Krylica who sprinted across, fallowed by Zerath, once again looking like an idiot. Then Worm, who scampered across the hall, in a motion that reminded me something of a rat. Fallowed by came River with her mini gun at the ready, fallowed by Bolt with his mini over his shoulder.

Sayrx jumped through the door way, but something caught his left foot before he could exit the last room. He fell, striking his face across the ground, breaking his nose. He looked up, groaning, dizzy, and stunned from the blow. Blood purred out from his broken nose. Suddenly something began to pull him back into the room with unthinkable speed. Sayrx Screamed, in pain and panic. He slid back into shadows, a trail of blood fallowing him. In an instant he was devoured by shadows. The only thing that I could still see of him was his hand as he clutched to the door frame for dear life.

Zerath lunged forward, tackling the still visible hand; He grabbed hold and wrenched at it, trying to pull Sayrx back into visibility and away from what ever lurked in the shadows.

Krylica readied her pistols, aiming into the shadows, Worm panicked and slid back a little farther into the room. River aimed her gun into the shadows, the barrels spinning at the ready to unleash her furry.

Bolt activated his shoulder mounted spot light on his cybernetic arm. At first I could not believe my eyes. What looked to be eating Sayrx's foot looked to be a giant, blue cube of gelatin. I thought it was almost funny, until I saw that floating within the cube were the bones of other, things both human and inhuman and animal. Then I was what it was doing to Sayrx's foot. Slowing the flesh was being dissolved into the goo. Sayrx grabbed onto the door frame with both hands and screamed louder. Zerath let go of the hand and jumped back, whipping out his shot gun. He fired off shot after shot; the thunder of the gun rang down the halls as he attacked. The blasts from the shot gun struck the ooze and dug deep into the creature. Ripples flowed across the beast's body but nothing happened. Sayrx's shoe was gone and the skin was gone, now nothing remained but the muscle and even that was turning to a red cloud within the ooze. The creature moved forward, engulfing more of Sayrx's leg.

I leapt forward striking out with my swords, slashing the blades deep into the cube of ooze but the blades past through it like through thick water. The creature moved closer again this time taking his hips. Krylica shot off rounds, carful not to hit Sayrx but once more nothing changed.

River threw me to the ground in a desperate attempt to reach her brother. She Grasped Sayrx's hand and a death grip as she tried desperately to save him. The ooze ripped and suddenly Sayrx was ripped out of Rivers grip and plunged into the cube of blue death.

"NO!" River screamed.

She raised her Mini gun and let fly with a wrath that could have rivaled the gods in hate or this one single creature.

Sayrx writhed in agony inside the creature as his flesh melted way all around him.

Bullets struck the ooze, forming ripping across the surface. The bullets passed through the ooze, barely slowed as they passed through the creature. Many of them struck Sayrx furthering his demise. One lucky bullet struck him in the neck, passing through the spinal cord. River stopped firing as she was blood float from the wounds of Sayrx's body. She stood there, in shock and horror as what was left of Sayrx was melted away, leaving only bones to float within the block of blue evil. I stood up, looking upon the scene in horror, unable to understand fully that Sayrx was gone.

"Out of the way!" came Zeraths voice from right next to me. I looked over to find Zerath with a grenade in one hand, pin pulled, arm pulled back and ready to throw.

I leapt back, into the room behind me for cover, Krylica leapt forward and pulled River into the room, Bolt close behind.

Zerath chucked the grenade at the ooze as it sluggishly pulled forward closer too him. The grenade struck the creature in the top of the cube; it hit and was half sunken into the ooze. It began to sink into the creature. It still pulled ever closer; Zerath turned and lunged into the room. The ooze creature was now fully in the hall and almost to the room where we hid.

The moment the grenade reached the center of the ooze it went off, exploding in a rain of fire, tarring the ooze creature apart, sending it splattering all across the walls, each piece flaming and sticking like glue to the walls and sliding down.

I stepped out of the room careful not to step in the flaming puddles of goop. I looked around the hall to make sure that nothing was going to eat me. Nothing moved, nothing breathed, and nothing jumped out of the shadows to eat me.

"All clear…I think" I said, my voice a little nervous.

Worm and Zerath stepped out into the hall that now smelled of burning chemicals. Worm looked around warily as if something might attack at any moment, while Zerath stepped out, took one look up the hall and one look down the hall and leaned against a wall, shot gun cradled in his arms. Bolt stepped out, a worried look on his face as he stepped up to me.

"Think you should take a look. She's looking pretty bad." He said, concern written across his face.

"Alright, make sure nothing eats Worm he looks like he might have a heart attack." I said in reply. Bolt nodded to me and stepped into the middle of the hall looking for any signs of movement.

I stepped back into the room to find River on her knees; she was staring blankly at the wall but almost seeing past it. Tears streamed down her face in an endless flowing stream. She shook heavily, almost convulsing as she trying not so sob. Krylica knelt down next to her, holding her comfortingly, she looked up at me as I entered, a scared look in her eyes.

I was very unsettled by this sight. River looked like the least likely in the whole group break down. I would have pegged Bolt to break into a sobbing mess before River. But her she lay, making me think that if she could fall then anyone could.

"I could have helped him, could have saved him." She murmured under her breath.

I knelt down in front of river, looking her in the eye.

"River…Are you going to be alright?" I said in a gentle, calm tone.

She focused on me, the fear in here eyes slowly changing to unbreakable determination, and a rage that said she would take on the armies of hell and not blink an eye if she needed. I knew that hate well, and Lilith would feel that hate in the last moments before I brought her to justice, be it in hand cuffs or in blood.

River stood, looking past me into the hall. She shouldered her Mini Gun and stepped out into the hall.

"Let's kill these fuckers and get the hell out of this shit hole." She said her voice steely, and sharp enough to cut flesh. She turned to Worm, Bolt, and Zerath.

"Lets get a move on, I want for those fuckers to pay for Sayrx, and the price is high in blood."

She turned and began to walk down the hall towards the fork. I looked at Krylica, unsure upon what to do.

"You need to do something Gane, I don't like this, I think she's going to go on a blood hunt and get herself and possibly everyone else killed."

I looked back stepping out of the hall to watch River as she went.

"I know, I know. I just don't know that I should do. It doesn't look like she's going to listen to anything that I say that doesn't have the words kill, or fallow in it." I said my heart heavy with worry for a woman I barely knew.

I gave everyone the signal to fallow Rivers lead. We all packed up and walked to the end of the hall. As we moved Krylica and I spoke.

"If she won't listen to you, then you should listen to her try to understand how she's feeling." Krylica proposed in a low voice as we walked on.

"I know all to well the feeling that she has right now. The pain of loosing a loved one, the hate at yourself, the wondering if you could have changed it, The want for blood and to blame someone other than yourself." I said my voice filling with hate, my mind flashing back.

I could still hear the distant sound of screeching tires, the screams, and the soft thumping sound.

Krylica shot me a sharp look "How could you know what she is feeling?"

I looked her in the eye and saw the same pain I felt.

"I am an orphan. The only friend I had at the home was killed by a drunk driver while we were playing."

My voice was hard as I tried to hold back the memories and the tears that always came with them.

Krylica's face softened just a little but I couldn't stop myself it all came poring out.

"The worst part wasn't that he was hit or that the driver got out and started kicking him for denting the car. The worst part was that he lived through the whole thing, all of the pain and agony only to die at the hospital from organ damage." As I spoke those last words the tears broke free. I rarely ever cry but when I do it doesn't stop easily. Krylica gave me a shocked look of sorrow and disbelief.

"I, I remember that we where playing Super Heroes and I was the side kick even though I hated not being the super hero. I remember the last words he ever said were "what are you doing here, you need to get the bad guys."

I took me a moment to realize we had stopped walking and that everyone in the party was staring at me, with pity. Well everyone being Bolt and Worm, Zerath look at me from behind his face plate so I was unsure as to how he felt. River stood at the cross walk facing away from everyone else as she tried to figure out which way was right.

"Ya boo hoo very sad story, a geek got turned into a speed bump, now mister know it all freakazoid, which way are we going, right or left?" River blurted out.

I wiped my tears on my jacket sleeve and cleared my nose.

"Look I understand that you lost your brother but that holds no excuse for being a bitch, you need to show everyone respect and keep a cool head before you get us all killed." I said as I walked up to her, my temper rising.

She turned to glare at me, she pointed at me placing thee finger on my chest.

"Look here you chicken winged freak, you gotta win my respect, its not just given out, and till then your little sob stories are nothing more then a waste of good air and you are a waste of good commanding skill. Now stop the moping about Captain Tire grease and tell me which way."

I looked her dead in the eye, unwilling to back down from the challenge. Without looking away from our staring contest of wills I asked "Worm which way to the elevator?"

There was the sound of tapping on a touch screen end came the answer.

"We want to go left for the Elevator."

River turned and marched to the right without a word, readying her gun as she went. I turned to Zerath and signaled for him to fallow River and keep an eye on her. He nodded and jogged up to take up position behind her, fallowed by Worm, then came me, fallowed by Krylica and Bolt took up the rear. We moved quickly trying to keep pace with River but that was no small task. We stopped at we reached a door that marked the beginning of the twenty foot hall that led to the elevator. River stopped and stepped to the side and Worm plugged into the control panel of the door to unlock it. River looked like she might kick Worm while he was kneeling. Worm must have noticed the look on her face because his typing sped up and suddenly the screen on the control panel flashed green with the words [CODE EXEPTED] written across it. The large metal door depressurized, pulled back and slid into the wall to the left. On the other side of the door was not what I had expected. The hall was dark, with a few hanging lights every few paces, but an eerie green glow came from the rows of green glass tubes that lined either side of the hall. Each one was about a two feet in diameter and was connected to the floor and ceiling with metal, air tight seals. In each one strange creatures buzzed about, they all looked the same, but none were natural. Each creature had wings like a Dragonfly attached to a slender rain drop shaped body with the color of a mint leaf. At the narrow end or the creature a jagged sting was attached with hook like serrations across it. On the side of the rain drop shape was a lidless eye that looked almost like a cat's eye, only without the intelligence or emotion of a cat.

We stepped into the room one by one staring at the odd creatures as we slowly made out way to the other side. We watched as the creatures flew about in almost a lazy relaxed manner. As we moved Worm stopped to look at one. He lightly rapped on the glass and watched as the creatures lazily flew away from Worm.

"Don't do that you moron you might upset them" Came Bolt from behind me. I smiled because I was going to say the same thing.

We moved through the hall and made it to the end without any damage or danger, Worm opened the door and we made our way to the elevator. The door slid and just as hoped on the other side of heavy door was a pair of elevator doors. At that moment they looked a lot like the gates to heaven. We all stood there for a moment before Zerath stepped forward and pride the doors apart. But what we found broke my heart. Looking into the shadows of the elevator shaft all that could be seen was the severed suspension cord swinging gently back and forth.

Worm whimpered and stepped back, Bolt punched the wall to his right, Krylica let out a dramatic sigh, Zerath clenched and unclenched is fist as he stepped out of the way so others could see. I turned to walk back the way we came, when River said "Wait, I have an idea."

I turned back and walked up behind her as she stared down the elevator shaft. She hefted her mini gun and flipped a switch that activated a light attached to the top of the gun, just behind the rotating barrels. She aimed the light directly across the dark chasm. There in the dark of the shaft about nine feet from the edge of the door was a row of rusty latter rungs that rose up from the shadowy depths and reached up into the vast nothingness above us.

"Oh no River, you're not thinking of using thing those?" I said as I eyed the latter steps with suspicion.

Without looking back at me she laughed and said "Grow a spine you coward."

With that she jumped over the pit of blackness, and grabbed hold of the latter with her one free hand as the other hand still held her mini gun.

"See it's perfectly safe. Now let's get moving so we can get the hell out of this place." River shouted back as she climbed the latter one handed with ease.

She moved up the latter rung by rung, despite their rusted appearance they were quite stable. She moved up into the nothingness, Zerath was about to jump to the latter just as River disappeared from view, until he heard the crunch.

There was the sound of metal grinding, bending and finally snapping.

"Aw shit." came Rivers voice from above, she didn't sound scared, just disappointed. I jumped, lunging to the elevator entrance. I landed on my chest part way and slid to the rim, my right arm out stretched. Zerath must have heard me jump because he stepped out of the way just as I came up behind him.

There was a blur of motion in the shadows of the shaft. I closed my hand as fast as I could in reflex.

Even with my inhuman speed I didn't grab her belt like what I was aiming for. No because that would be to easy of a hand hold. My fingers wrapped around the wrist of her once empty hand now holding a broken latter rung. I gritted my teeth as I tried to hold on to River but not get pulled down with her. I was more then a little disapproving of the idea of being eaten by who knows what that was living in the shadows bellow. My arm groaned in pain, I realized that this was the same arm with the hole in it. I bit back a string of curses as the pain grew. I pulled myself back into the sitting position with my feet on either side of the doors so I wouldn't fall in.

River looked down into the shadows then up at me.

"Nice catch." She said with a twinge of discomfort and worry in her voice as she hung by a wrist above the hungry shadows bellow.

"Well why don't you grow a brain at the same time I grow a spine." I said through clenched teeth. I threw my other hand down and grabbed her wrist with both hands and pulled her up, trying not to let her slip through my fingers, as I began to sweat from the effort but mostly the pain. I pulled her over the edge and fell backwards grasping my shoulder. River climbed to her knees, mini gun still in hand to my surprise.

"Well we're not leaving that way."

River said, stating the obvious.

I sat up and rolled up my sleeve to see how bad the damage was. I wound that where there was once a hole the size of a half dollar in my shoulder there now a nastily looking brose in its place. I was relieved to find that but I was less pleased to find that my arm was not responding and it looked to be entirely misplaced out of its socket. Zerath knelt down beside me and looked at it for a second before speaking his diagnosis. Wow, there Gane my friend it looks to me that you've dislocated your shoulder." He said in almost a cheery tone. He leaned forward reaching out for my arm.

"Ill fix this in zero time flat." Zerath continued.

He grabbed my limp arm and gave it a hard wrenched then he gave it a hard shoved back into place. I howled in pain as Zerath did all this.

Zerath stood up and wiped his hands together in satisfaction as if he had just performed open heart surgery.

"There we go. The nut job is as good as new."

I glared up at him still holding my shoulder.

"I'm not sure weather to beat you into next Sunday or kiss you on the cheek, you cocky bastard." As I spoke my glare melted into a broad grin. I stood up and bear hugged him, lifting him off the ground then I slugged him in the arm with my now working arm.

We turned back and made for the way to the stairs. We didn't speak because we all seemed to have the same feeling that something was amiss. We were all about as jumpy as Worm how left his skin very time a shadows shifted in the light. We were half way through the room filled with the small little flying creatures when the voice came over the intercom.

"Well Gane isn't this fun? You're all just little mice in a maze, all running from the hungry rabid rats. How did you like my little elevator trick? We can't have things easy now can we?"

I jumped clean out of my skin as the voice came on.

I began spinning; looking around the room for the face I knew I would not find that matched the voice.

"Now, now Gane calm down and stop chasing your tale for the experiment has only just begun. All around you in those nice safe tubs are Zyphris-Phulony, or as every one calls them Scares."

As Lilith said this, the door we had just past through slammed shut.

"They look and act every docile, well aside from that nasty stinger on their face, but still, as I was saying. I had them made just for this."

The other door slammed shut.

"They are docile so long as they don't smell the oil of a human. I was going to have the trigger be blood but that seems just to done to death, besides it would take blood first to make it work and I cant count on you bleeding."

Suddenly all of the tubs containing the Scares depressurized with a deep hiss from each that filled the room. Suddenly I knew why they were called Scares. As soon as the tubs decompressed the little creatures that almost seemed cute went stark raving mad. They began to fly in counter clockwise circles, at almost unbelievably high speeds. Worm ran over to the door that we were heading to before we hit this snag.

He plugged in to the door computer and began feverishly typing away, as he pealed away the layers of firewalls and security systems, or what ever he was doing.

"I hope you have fun, because you cant run or hide from the little pretties, they're about as fast as say a speeding bullet. Have fun and Oh don't die to fast I want to re-watch this later this week."

With that Lilith cut off the intercoms.

The tubs slowly began to rise; leaving a gap so small for the Scare swarms to squeeze through but the spaces was growing by the moment. As one we all turned and raced over to Worm. The door computer beeped and asked for a code. Worm cursed allowed and began typing faster then before.

Suddenly there was a sharp pain in my thigh. I gave a curse of my own before I looked. Stuck in my leg was a Scare, its stinger stuck up to the eye in my thigh. I pulled it out and crushed the little beast in my hand. Lilith was right if felt like I was just shot in the leg.

Suddenly there was another beep and the door slid open. Every one stepped through, eager to get away from the swarm.

Worm began typing but a very bad sound kept coming from his computer, the kind of sound that made you think the word ERROR.

"Fuck!"Worms shouted aloud.

"What is it?" I asked.

"She knew that we would open the door and now she rigged it so we can't close it from the out side." Worm said his voice heavy with terror and hate.

"Well it looks like I'll be dining with the gods tonight." I said stepping back into green lighted, accursed hall.

I unsheathed my swords and readied myself for this.

Suddenly a hand grabbed my and pulled me back off my feet. I fell to the ground, my swords hitting the tiled floor with a clang.

I looked up to see River tear streaked face, with her back to me. She turned to the door controls inside the death trap and leveled her mini gun with the control pad. I lunged forward, leaving my swords. I tackled her forcing her to the ground. A Scare Struck me in the shoulder, I winced in pain but I shrugged it off as best I could.

"Get out of here River, I can hold them off longer then you." I said my voice heavy and sad, but firm.

River placed both of her booted feet on my chest and kicked my back through the door before I could react. Without standing she leveled her gun with the panel once more and opened fire, setting a river of steaming bullets into the wall. The door slammed shut. I jumped back up, slamming against the door looking through the small port hole. River stood and looked at me, her eyes steaming.

"No time for goodbye." she said

"I don't know if it counts for anything but you earned my trust. This is something I go to do, I lost Sayrx and I was supposed to keep him safe, that was the last thing I promised mom before she died. Now it's my turn to give something for the team. Now go get em Chicken Wings."

That was the last thing she said as she faded away. She turned to face the now massive swarm, and opened fire on the mass of creatures. She set loose a war cry that would chill any opponent to the bone and she set loose a river of righteous fury. Suddenly the swarm was upon her. Her last stand seemed to do nothing but give us time to run as she was eaten alive by the vile tricks of Lilith. I threw myself at the metal, reinforced door. I couldn't let her die for my mistake. I was not going to let her die to. I hit the door again and again, slamming my shoulder against it, but with no success. It was then that it struck me. James and Sayrx were both dead because of me. And now River would die because of me too. Everyone was dying because Lilith wanted my DNA. Who was next, Zerath, Bolt, Worm, Krylica? Who would fall next for Lilith to get my DNA?

I pulled back to slam myself against the door again when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked over to find Bolt looking down on me.

"We need to go. There's no way we're could open that door. Not without killing River and ourselves."

I shrugged Bolts hand off my shoulder.

"She's going to die because of me, it's all my fault." I said as tears began to well up in my eyes. I never cried, this was odd, because I never cried for anything. Hell during the Titanic I laughed at the end.

"Then don't let her sacrifice be in vane." Bolt said his voice firm, but not void of sorrow. I nodded in agreement, knelt down and gathered my swords.

We all ran down the hall as fast as we could, Rivers war cry turned to a scream of pure agony. It took every ounce of my will to keep me from turning back. It was then and there that I came up with the answer to my own question.

No one was going to die so Lilith could get my DNA. I was going to get every one out and to safety that I could. We rushed down the hall not stopping for the moving shadows that closed in around us. We passed through the hall where Sayrx had fallen, the room and hall was still scorched and covered with chunks of acidic jelly from Zerath with the grenade and the ooze creature. A red clawed hand lashed out from the shadows to my right. I blocked it with a quick sweep that removed the hand from the wrist of the hungry creature. We passed through the first hall, and past the cross roads. We didn't even hesitate as we ran past the cross roads and continued forward. We ran for what seemed like hours but was only a short while. We ran straight until we found a sudden turn in the hall leading to the left. I slowed to meet the corner, trying not to skid into the wall. As I turned to corner things got discomforting.

Before I was fully around the corner my momentum was reversed as something slammed against my chest, knocking the wind from my lungs and landing me on my back. My swords slid from my hands as I hit the ground.

A human shape stood over me, one hand raised. I couldn't focus on what it was because of I was still in shock from the impact.

I heard Zerath let out a war cry as he charged up from where I had come. I saw his blurred shape slam into my attacker, knocking it into a wall, and pinning it there. I climbed to my feet and let my eyes adjust to my surroundings.

Zerath held an almost human looking thing against the wall, using his shot gun as a brace to hold its hands against the wall on either side of its head.

The thing looked almost completely human but it had no skin. All of its crimson red muscles were in plan sight, its lower jaw looked to be torn off leaving only strips of flesh hanging on either side of where the jaw once was. Its right hand was split down the middle up to the elbow, in the space between a long rusty blade had been slipped in and held in place by the half's of the arm, which were tied back together with a raged piece of clothe. Blood oozed from the open hole that once had been a mouth. It looked at Zerath with mad hunger in its eyes. It pulled forward trying to take a bite out of him with its useless mouth. Krylica came up next to Zerath and placed to muzzle of one of her guns to the things forehead. The shot rang out, echoing down the empty hallway.

"Any idea what that was that just tried to turn me into a mid hall picnic?" I asked walking up to get a better look at it.

"We got a good idea. Don't know what to call them, but they have been sighted in the west side of the city from time to time. These are one of a verity of nasties that look to be failed attempts to grow humans." Zerath said, not taking his eyes off the body as it if might get back up.

"They have no thought beyond eat and kill. My guess is that they were meant as a fast way to get an army and a quick way to get cheep labor. But since they failed as both of those, BIO just gave them weapons and wanted to see what happens. The worst part about these suckers isn't that they are hungry it's that they are hungry and move in packs." Krylica said. As she spoke she popped out the magazines from her guns and checked her ammo. I looked at the body and thought of a second about what Zerath and Krylica both had said. A thought struck me as I looked at the body.

"Wait what do you mean when you said gave them weapons?"

"I meant what I said, just hope you don't see one of them up close." Krylica replied.

"But you said they hunt in pack, and that means-" I was cut off before I could finish.

"Yes Sherlock, that means there more of them and they are very close." Krylica said, not bothering to hide how annoyed she was with me.

As if in response to her words, a chorus of shrieking, screeching, and gurgling moans rang out from down the hall. Five more of strange creatures ran forward seeming to melt from the shadows, each ready and eager for the blood of new victims. Zerath stepped forward to faced the on coming hoard, unmoving, unrelenting. He fired of a single shot from his guns, tarring into the on coming mass. The shot was well placed and utterly devastating. These things were fast but very fragile. Arms were torn off, heads exploded, legs dismembered. With a single shot Zerath rendered the charging torrent creatures into a large splatter mark on the floor with heaps of meaty mush laying everywhere. Zerath turned back to face Krylica and I. He leaned his Shot gun over his shoulder.

"I will cut a swath through their ranks." He said in a cheery tone.

"That's very nice, now get your ego moving before I kick it down the hall." Krylica said, pushing past me.

Bolt let out a snicker as he took position behind me covering us as we went.

"Quit your snickering Robo Cop." Zerath called back from the front of the group.

"This coming from you Cyber man?" Bolt shot back.

"Don't make me come back there or I'll your ass so bad people that look like you are gunna bleed." Zerath called back.

"This coming from the midget in the power suit, I'm quaking in my size fifteen shoes." Bolt said with a grin.

"Will you two love birds shut up with the banter and put on some speed. I want to leave here in one piece." Krylica snapped at the two of them.

"Well could we leave your mouth behind, its kind of giving me a headache?" Zerath asked. He laughed at his own joke but stopped when Krylica smacked him with the butt of one of her pistols.

"Aw! No need to resort to physical violence" Zerath said rubbing the back of his head.

I was surprised that even in this life and death circumstances Zerath and Bolt still had a sense of hummer and that Krylica hadn't snapped yet. I myself felt like I was about to snap like a dry twig. The mood seemed to lighten after the witty banter but I still couldn't get over the deaths of Sayrx, River and James. They all played in my head, over and over. I kept seeing them die. Kept trying to figure out what I did wrong, something that could have let me save them. Was there a sign, a warning of some sort? Was there a clue of what going to happen or how I could have stopped it? I barely knew them but I felt so wade down by their deaths.

We moved through the hall with quick steps, turning with the hall as it went. I felt like a rat in a maze, running through as maze of life. Suddenly the group came to a quick stop. Very nearly ran over Worm, but managed to stop before I hit him. Looking past Worm Krylica, and Zerath I saw an old metal door with rust creeping around the edges of it like a twisted cross between bold and groping fingers. Along the middle of the door in faded red letters read STAIRS.

"Are you sure this is such a good idea? I mean I don't want to dampen this depressing mood but I don't thing meeting a nasty in a narrow stair way is good for anyone health." Worm said. This was the first thing he had said in some time. I was starting to worry weather he was still sane or not.

"Well Worm would you like to open the door and look of fangs and claws on the other side?" Krylica chimed in, her voice sugar coated so she wounded sweet but her bitter emotions could still be heard through false sweetness.

"No, no, I'm good. I like my head attached to my shoulders and quite firmly at that." Worm said. He slunk away from Krylica's icy glare as she eyed him like a cat would eye a mouse that had just bitten it.

"Gees pussy cat, you don't need to sharpen your claws on the little man." Bolt said.

Krylica shot him an icy glare to match.

"So I take it you want to open the door?"

Bolt gave her a grin as he moved past me and Worm in a few steps.

"Why yes I would like to open the door." He said keeping he grin.

Bolt set down his massive weapon, stood up to his full height, looking down on Krylica. She folded her arms over her chest in disapproval, and glared up at Bolt with an unyielding gaze. Bolt stretched out his arms and grabbed her by the shoulders, picked her of the ground like a boy would pick up a kitten. He then held her at arms reach and turned ninety degrees and set her against the wall lick a kid sent to time out.

Bolt then pick up his gun and stepped past Zerath who had stepped off to the side while Krylica was being toyed with.

Bolt, holding his large gun in his mechanical hand pulled the door open with some effort on his behalf.

The door opened with a horrendous screeching sound and reminded me of a screaming wombat with a case of strep, scraping its claws on a grind stone. I clenched my hands over my ears in pain at the noise, but I quickly moved them to my mouth and nose. The door broke off its hinges just from its own weight, and what came from behind the door was terrible. The smell of rotting corpses, urine, excrement, and something far worse rolled out from the door way and almost knocked my on my back the smell was so horrendous.

I climbed back to my feet with a hand clasped around my mouth and nose so hard it would leave bruising. We all stood just outside the door holding out noses from the smell and holding our breath ready for some creature to rush out and try to eat us.

After a moment a grinding, rumbling sound came. I recognized the sound but couldn't tell what it was. It sounded so familiar but I couldn't place it. Then it came to me and I could feel the color drain from my face at the realization the sound was that of a chain saw and it was not coming from the door way. I spun on my heel, my eyes looking for any movement, looking for the blur of movement that would lung out at me. But what I found was slower but somehow just a frightening. What I saw was a bold head, pasty white flesh, a tattered butcher's apron stained and smeared with blood. Its lower jaw torn off with a doctor's surgical mask covering what was left of its mouth aside from the strands of flesh and sinew hanging out from beneath the mask. In place of its right hand was a chainsaw, engine giving a dull rawer. The chain saw was painted in blood, the thick crimson nectar dripping from the blade. I panicked at the sight of the chainsaw. My head flashed to life with a blaze of black and silver flames. I flung the flames at the thing holding the chainsaw. The flames leapt from my hand like a handful of flaming tar. The ball of unearthly flames struck the creature in the right shoulder, exploding and covering creature completely. The smell of burning flesh filled the hall. But rather then falling to the ground in a dead heap the creature lurched into a sprint, running straight for me, chainsaw raised for a strike.

"MOVE!" A deep voice behind me bellowed.

Before I could react I was thrown against a wall. I was jostled from the impact but regained my senses quickly. I looked up to see Bolt at the ready, weapon leveled with the creature that charged forward. The barrels of the heavy weapons spun picking up speed before spewing forth a stream of ammunition. In a blur of motion, in a single sweep the creature's top half was severed from its lower half. The upper half pulled away from the rest of the body, it was air born for only but a second before it struck the ground and slid leaving a trail of blood in its wake. The creature's lower half struck the ground with a dull thump. I got to my feet not taking my eyes off the still burning upper half of the creature. Zerath stepped up next to me looking at the gruesome sight.

"And that is what they look like when they have toys to hunt their victims with." He said his voice flat and level.

I moved my stare for from the corpse to Zerath.

"You mean this _thing_ is the same as the opens back there?" I said in shock, nodding my head down the hall from which we had come from.

Zerath nodded.

"Yep, it's had to believe that they go from being so easy to put down to being to take several mags of ammo and still cut a man up." Zerath said with a nod to the corpse. I looked back at it to see it was not dead

I looked back at it to find it dragging its self closer to me, inch my inch with its one hand. I stepped back as it drew closer.

"So this is the same thing as the other things you tore apart with your shot gun? But its skin it's not red like the others?"

Krylica stepped up and planted three bullets in the things smoldering head, then looked at me.

"Let's put it in terms you'll understand wolf boy think of it like wolves they are all the same but with different adaptations for different reasons."

"Yes this is all well and nice but can we PLEASE get out of here before more of them find us." Worm said, his back against a wall, his computer held tight against his chest.

"I think the small guy may have a point. How about we stop chatting and start moving." Bolt said, moving closer to the door way. I nodded in agreement and hopped to the head of the line. I covered my nose again with my jacket lining, as the stench the rolled forth from the doorway grew stronger. I stepped from the hall onto a platform that stood between two steep stair cases. The surrounding air was thick with a filthy green fog. I stepped across the two foot platform finding a well rusted railing. I stepped up to the railing and looked up to see the shadow of the stairs cases moving up through the thick green fog, spiraling around in a rectangular shape. I looked down and was not enthralled by what I saw. Down bellow, the staircase had collapsed to make the bottom more of a pit then anything else. In this pit parts of half eaten corpses stood heaped in piles, all rotting and covered in a thin layer of green slime.

I looked around ready for whatever ate those bodies, but I saw no signs of any such thing.

"All seems clear." I said through my jacket.

Immediately Krylica stepped through the door way, weapons at the ready then Worm stepped through, holding his computer of dear life and staying close to Krylica, Zerath strolled through shot gun resting on his shoulder, then Bolt his Mini gun in one hand. We all stood together for a moment before Krylica signaled for us to move up the stairs. We moved single file up the narrow path. With each step the metal creaked and groaned. I kept one hand one the wall at all times. I had seen to many horror movies to trust rickety stairs.

We moved, taking every step with the utmost care, hoping with everything we had that the metal beneath us didn't give way.

As we moved a strange slithering sound came from above us. We all looked up but nothing could be seen. We stopped moving and waited for something to happen. After a moment the sound stopped. We waited for a moment more then continued moving up the staircase. We got five steps before it happened. Out of the green shadows above a flash of movement came, there was a scream and then everything seemed to slow down. I looked ahead of me to see a green tactical wrapped around Worms torso. The long tendril was as thick around as my forearm and coated in slime. Before anyone could react, the tactical picked Worm up off his feet. His computer dropped from his grip and fell into the shadows bellow, but that was the least of his worries. The tactical began thrashing, shacking him like a child having a temper tantrum while holding a doll. Worm Screamed the whole time till the tentacle slammed him against a wall, temporarily knocking him prone. I still think the creature did that to shut him up but the truth will never be known.

"Somebody take the shot!" I shouted, looking to find no one aim there weapons at the tentacle.

Krylica shot me a furies glare.

"We can't, we might hit Worm in the process. You fucking idiot." She spoke with a calm level tone that sent shivers down my spine.

I sighed "God damn it." I said in frustration as I reached back.

I unsheathed one of my swords and held it in both hands. I stepped back, my back and heel against the wall. I looked up at the flailing trail of flesh with unblinking eyes. They Stairwell was too small for me to fly up but I could still do something. I unfurled my wings, took a deep breath and waited for the right moment. I didn't have to wait long; I saw my opportunity and pushed off the wall with my heel. I took the one step of stairs between me and a nice fall. I took the step and jumped. My wings gave me to the lift to reach my target. I took the sword and with a single clean cut severed the tendril with seeming ease. I redirected my momentum by kicking off the opposite wall, and turning my body. Worm hit the stairs with a hard clang sound. The impact shook the whole staircase. I closed my wings on the landing, but I did so too soon. I too landed with a heavy clanging rattle, maybe a little too heavy. Suddenly the portion of stairway I was standing of tore apart like we news paper, I grabbed hold of the railings but they to were no longer connected. I fell, still clinging to the rusted rode of metal. Suddenly I wasn't falling I was suspended in to air, looking down at the green murky shadows bellow. I looked up to find a robotic three fingered hand holding the other side of my rusted life line. I looked up past the arm to find Bolts face, with a mix of excitement, worry and a little panic painted across his face.

"I give you a ten for the jump but a three on the landing." He said.

He hoisted me up with ease and helped me to my feet.

"Thanks, Ill try and work on that." I said in reply, a little out of breath.

"Watch your step, don't want you getting eaten now do we?" Bolt said with a wild smile.

I nodded to him in thanks, and gave him a knuckle bump when he offered. I looked around the hulking black man to see Worm sitting, his head spinning, his eyes rolling with his head.

"How's he doing" I asked.

"All in all the re-entry was the worst part for him." Zerath answered.

Krylica was examining him, but after a few seconds he stood up abruptly, staggering a little, but keeping his footing. Worm turned and pointed at me.

"Gane, you stupid bastard, you owe me a new computer." He said his voice sounding almost like an angry drunk.

I couldn't help but snicker at the comment.

"Alright Ill get you one when we get back." I said.

Krylica stood up and looked me in the eye, her own eyes showing nothing but the slightest glimmer of something, I couldn't tell if it was approval or distaste.

"He'll be fine. Lets get moving." She said. 

We moved up the stairs, with no chance of turning back, but we never really had the intention of going back. We moved on with no more interruptions. We reached the door that we wanted within what seemed like thirty minutes but what was most likely more like five minutes. Like the first one it was rusted shut. Krylica walked up to it, examined it closely, looking it up and down like a seamstress would to a new dress. She then stepped back and looked at Bolt.

"If you would be so kind?" She asked politely.

Bolt nodded and replied with "It would be my honor."

He stepped up and grabbed the door and tore it off hits rusted hinges with a little more effort then the fist door. Bolt popped it off and then dropped it down the stair way shaft behind us. It fell and stuck the ground with a thunderous boom that sounded like a wave of thunder from under my feet.

"How I wish that bitch Lilith was under that." Bolt said showing a nastily smile.

"Ha men to that, my friend." I said.

We stepped through the door, eyes and ears peeled for creepers looking for a snack.

"The main entrance should be just up ahead and to the right…. I think." Worm said, giving me a scowl as he said it.

"Well I guess there's only one way to find you." Zerath said.

We moved forward in single file like always, checking each room we passed but we found nothing. As we moved I couldn't shack the feeling that we were being fallowed, or more likely stalked. We walked on moving as a group but every once and a while I would see something out of the corner of my eye, nothing more then a blur of motion in the shadows. I didn't like this at all. We reached a fork in the road like Worm said there would be. We stopped and Zerath stepped up his shot gun at the ready, he picked his head around the corner to the right, held it there for a second before he pulled it back and looked at us.

"All clear, no shining door of light but no nasty's either, so I cant-" Zerath was cut off when from the shadows of the left behind him something tackled him, taking him to the floor. Bolt pushed forward, shoving past me Worm and Krylica. With a single back hand, Bolt knocked the thing off Zerath and threw it against a wall. All lights turned on it. Black fur, yellow-green eyes, long whiskers, human like body, long claws, the creature looked like a cat human hybrid. It hissed and lunged at Bolt attacking his face. He screamed and fell back, before I could do anything it jumped from Blot to me sinking four claws into my cheek. I spun and knocked it against the wall with a kick. It took the blow and came back for more. It lashed out at my face again; I dodged the strike but just barely. I pushed it back with my foot trying to get some distance between me and it. I drained from all the spells I cast and did want to risk anything unless I had to. My push landed it close to Krylica, I expected her to spin around and put a bullet in hits head but she didn't move. The cat thing saw Worm huddled against the wall, helpless against it. I leapt at the helpless shape but, Bolt clothes lined the cat in mid air with his robotic arm. It hit the ground but spun back to its feet with lightning dexterity. Zerath was back up and went to fire at the cat but Krylica's unmoving form was in the way.

"Move!" Zerath shouted but it was too late. The cat saw its chance and leapt over Krylica and tackled Zerath once more, this time it knocked the gun out of his hands. Bolt brought his Mini gun to bare but was unable to fire. The cat jumped off Zerath and struck Bolt once more, knocking him off balance, it attacked him scratching and biting as he fell. Bolt batted it off again with a single swing but this time as it hit the ground it was Krylica as if for the first time. It leapt at her, claws exposed aimed for her throat. Krylica let out a blood curdling scream at the sight of the on coming creature. Now it was my turn to tackle some one. I lunged wrapping my arms around Krylica's middle section taking her to the ground. The cat flew over our heads harmlessly. I rolled to my feet, taking a defensive stance. The cat was already at its feet, looking at me like I was a mouse to play with before being swallowed whole.

I gave it a taunting wave of my hand telling it to come closer.  
>"Come on. Lets dance tabby cat." I said with a smirk.<p>

It hissed at me and lunged, pouncing at me like a house cat would a mouse. I brought my foot up to greet the cat with a kick to the jaw. The strike shut the cats gaping mouth and sent it backwards. The cat landed on its feet and looked at me but no longer as prey but a trespasser now. I was no longer a mouse in its eyes; I was an opponent that was to be killed quickly because I posed a threat. I readied myself for another jump but pounce never came. Instead it charged me head on, catching my totally by surprise. The cat rushed me aiming low, tackling me like I had tackled Krylica. The cat rammed its head into my sternum forcing the air out of my lungs at it took me to the ground. I hit and it had me where it wanted me. The cat raised one clawed hand for a well placed strike at my throat. I brought my hand up to black but it was not use. Instead of the strike falling and my life ending or my block holding, a black boot came from out of nowhere and took the cat in the face so hard it fell off me and landed against the wall. Krylica stepped up to the cat, leveled both of her pistols at its face. It looked up at her, half its face starting to swell from the kick. It hissed at her and she opened fire with both guns. But she didn't stop at one shot, or two, or eight. Krylica kept firing till there was no head left to shoot and even after that. She only stopped when her guns stopped spitting and starting giving the click that said reload required. I stood up and walked over to Krylica. I looked at her to find her skin was pale, hands shaking, and her eyes were wide and staring, her face coated in a thin layer of sweat. I put my hand on her shoulder. She slowly turned to look at me.

"You ok Krylica?" I asked with genuine concern.

She looked at me for a long moment with those large staring eyes before she blinked and shook her head.

"Ya I'm fine." She said her voice shaky and sounding like she was still in a dream.

Zerath got to his feet and retrieved his gun. He then stood and looked at me and Krylica.

"I think its time you told him."

We found an empty room where we could hold up for a short while. Krylica, Worm and I sat in the room, Zerath leaned against the back wall, his arms crossed, while Bolt stood guard at the door. Krylica was drinking water from a canteen Zerath had given her. She was looking better, still shaken but better. No one had spoken since we had gotten here, and I was the first to break the silence.

"Ok so what's all this about?"

Krylica took one last swig of water before she spoke. "Zerath isn't the only BIO Corp test tub."

I gave her a puzzled look. "What do you mean?"

She heaved a great sigh and spoke.

"When I was five I was taken from my family. I only had my mother and my twin sister Irra. I never knew my dad but I remember my mother telling stories about how he was a brave man who fought against BIO Corp and died trying to stop them. I remember the men I black latex lab coats breaking the door down and taking me away but leaving my sister and mother crying in the corner."

Tears began to grow in the corners of her eyes.

"I was taken to a large metal box where they locked me inside with no food or water for three days as they moved me to this city by truck. When I got here, they threw into a padded white cell like this but cleaner."

She gestured to the room we now sat in.

"I remember the needles stabbing my skin, the terrible pills being forced down my throat. I remember every day waking up feeling less human and more animal."

She hadn't looked me in the eye the whole time, not till that moment. Her eyes were cold, filled with fear and hate, and sympathy.

"They were trying to make me like you. Trying to make me half animal, half human, and they did it."

She said the last words through clinched teeth as she spat them out.

She raised her had and showed me as grew across her arm and her nails turned to long feline claws. My eyes widened in surprise. She changed just like me. She gave me a weak smile.

"Guess I'm what you'd call a werecat instead of a werewolf. But I broke out when I changed and killed the man trying to give me those evil pills. I killed him while he was opening the door and I ran. I was so scared of myself I swore Id never change again."

I knew the feeling, more then she could imagine.

I nodded looking her in the eye as I spoke.

"I know the feeling."

Suddenly an unearthly screech filled the air, floating in from the hall. Soon more joined in, forming a chorus of unearthly sound. It stopped suddenly but every hair on my body rose to stand on end. Whatever had made that sound had marked us and was coming to claim its meaty prize.

"I hate to break up this feel good camp fire but we really got to get moving." Bolt said, sounding rather unnerved. We all grabbed what gear we could and ran down the hall that Worm said would lead us to freedom. We ran to the end of the hall, a small closet stood in front of us and to our left the hall continued to a pair of broken glass doors with sun light flooding through them. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. So Worm was right, he just forget to mention the last turn on the road to freedom. The looked like a scene from a dream it was so beautiful. But this dream turned into a nightmare of the worst kind in a matter of seconds. From the right of the glass doors a group of inhuman shapes stepped out to be silhouetted by the light. All of them had vaguely human shapes but all of them had an extra set of oddly shaped arms growing out of their shoulders.

"Move into the closet!" Bolt shouted. I took the order and ran with it, throwing myself into the closet. Everyone did the same, trying to get away from the new creatures trying to eat us. Bolt was the last to enter, he slammed and locked the door behind him.

"This isn't going to hold them for long." Bolt said.

"We need a plan and fast." said Zerath as he quickly counted his shot gun shells.

"I got five shells left. What do you got left Krylica?"

Krylica checked her pistols but her excretion only became grimmer.

"I'm out, what about you Bolt?"

Bolt gave his ammo case a quick check.

"I got a forth of a belt left and no refills." Bolt said, he to was looking grim.

"And you Gane?" Krylica asked.

I reach for my shot gun, to find it gone.

"Shit I lost my shot gun, must have dropped it back in the spider cave or something."

I reached for my pistols to find them missing too. I cursed again.

"Ok well I got a belt of throwing stars, two machetes and two swords." I said in final replay.

"That's not going to stop these fuckers, they're tougher then most of the stuff we've met down here."Zerath said.

Suddenly something hit the door with a loud bang. We all lumped at the sudden sound, as if we were hoping they had not seen us all jump into a small janitors closet.

"What are they?" I asked.

Zerath shook his head in dismay.

"They're screamers, infected humans that roam around the abandoned parts of the city at night. They are very durable and very nasty." He explained.

"Ill do it." Bolt said from out of nowhere.

I gave him a puzzled look.

"Do what?" I asked.

"He'll give us cover, you twit." Krylica said in disgust at my arrogance.

There was another slam against the door

Zerath stood up handling his gun.

"I'll join you." He said his voice monotone.

Bolt smiled warmly at Zerath.

"No, this is something I got to do. You save my life no it's my turn to return the favor."

Zerath stiffened at the remark, then nodded.

"On the count of three, I open the door and fire all I've got left, I want to you run like hell itself was on your hells cus it might well be." Bolt said, readying his gun.

Bolt took a deep breath to settle his nerves as we all stood and readied ourselves.

"One… Two… Three!" Bolt shouted.

He threw the door open and let loose all his furry.

We all moved out running for the light, not looking back.

Something grabbed my foot, tripping me, taking me to the ground. I broke free of the grip with a kick as I fell and rolled forward not loosing any momentum. Something moved out in front of me and the person in front of me who I realized was Worm. Krylica came up next to me with surprising speed, reached more my belt and grabbed the hilt of a machete.

"Yoink" she said as she pulled it out. I saw her run up to the figure holding Worm and run the blade up through its skull and pull its back out. The creature stumbled back in pain but was still alive. Worm scrambled to his feet and took the lead a head of Zerath. I heard the gun fire stop, and looked back to see Bolt fending off a mass of monsters with his bare hands. I never to a good look at them. As we drew near to the shaft of light I heard Krylica shout my name. When I looked at her I saw her point to the wall near the exit. It took me a second to see that she was pointing at a button that read blast door seal.

I nodded in understanding, drew my only remaining machete and threw it at the button. The blade hit and sunk into the wall, three inches from the button. I cursed aloud, and drew three throwing stars. I threw them as we drew close. Two of the stars missed by mere centimeters but one struck dead center with enough force to start the blast doors closing. I ran out into the blinding, searing sun, almost on the brink of laughter. My eyes felt like they might melt out of there sockets but I didn't care. I was free of that terrible nightmare. My eyes adjusted and I turned back to see that the doors were closing to slow. At this rate the creatures would get out and I was not ready to face them head on. But I had one last trick up my sleeves, but it was going to hurt.

I summed up the rest of my strength, stepped forward, made sure Zerath, Worm and Krylica were out and that Bolt wasn't coming. There was no sign of him despite my hopes of seeking his bloodied form running out of the shadows it's was not there.

I stretched out my hands and set loose a torrent of flames. Screams echoed forth from the shadows within the building. I kept the blaze up as long as I could but finally had to stop once the door was almost shut. Zerath stood unaffected by the run staring at the door, his face emotionless through his mask. Krylica stood three feet away hands on her knees as she leaned forward, trying to take slow steady breaths. Worm leaned against the wall next to the door panting like a dog.

"We made it! We're alive! We did it!" he shouted.

He stood up still panting but his eyes where wide with excitement.

Without warning a clawed hand reached out from the shrinking crack in the door and grabbed Worm's ankle. He let out a panicked cry as it pulled him off his feet. I threw myself at him, grabbing around the middle trying to pull him out, pushing against the door with my feet, Zerath grabbed me and began pulling trying to help. Krylica tried to help but suddenly I lost my grip and he slid through the crack just before it shut.

"NO!" I shouted at the door. I threw myself at the door trying to open it. I clawed at me with my bare hands, I slammed my head against it but it was all in vain.

I stood, leaning against the metal door, beating my head and fist against it.

"No, no, no. I failed, I failed. I didn't save any of them." I said turning to put my back against the door, outside, a series of large buildings stood, some in flames. Blood and bodies littered the ground, Guards worked to kill anything that wasn't human, unnoticing of us.

"You couldn't save them Gane; it was out of your control." Krylica's voice came from right next to me. I didn't look, I stared up at the sky seeing the faces of the group I entered this building with and would never see again.

"It's all my fault, if I had tried harder I would have saved them." I said to myself.

"No Gane, he blame is mine. I'm the most experienced here, I should have known but I didn't." Zerath said his back turned to me as he to stare off into the distance.

Krylica slapped me across the face.

"Will you to stop it! No know could have fix this, it's was inevitable! Stop moping and get out of here before we get noticed. If you want to avenge their deaths then lets start by preventing yours."

Krylica was right, I shouldn't be moping. There's no changing the past but the future is an open book.

Krylica pressed her ear bud intercom.

"Command this is hornet, the package is in the chimney, requesting pickup for three ASAP." She said in a stern voice.

She listened for a moment before responding with "On rout to pickup.

Krylica lowered her finger and looked at both Zerath and I in turn.

"We have our pickup site. It's at the back of the building." I nodded and started walking. I felt like my feet were laden with led bricks, my eyes were swore, my eye lids heavy. We reached the back yard of the building where the same unit transport that dropped us off was here to pick us up.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Darker Side of Things

A small little man in a white lab coat stepped up to the desk with the utmost care not to touch it. His bolding had gotten worse since his promotion to this position. The company owner was not a person to disgruntle.

He fixed his tie and cleared his throat to get her attention as she sat in her large chair facing away from him.

"Um mama, we just got word that the test subject survived the, um encounter we set for him. I'm terribly sorry."

Lilith gave a light hearted chuckle as she spun around to face the small man.

"Why are you sorry, this went better then expected." She said interlacing her fingers as she spoke.

"I'm sorry mama I'm a bit lost."

Lilith smiled and looked past the small man, as if she were remembering something.

"Daddy always said he would be trouble, and that I should be ready for him."

"Um, Mama?" the small man asked utterly confused.

"Make sure my purchase gets here on time, will you? Now be gone before I feed you to the dogs." Lilith said as she spun back around to face the windows and stare down upon her city.

"Yes mama, yes mama, and one more thing. General Damon wants to be rereleased for duty." The small man said, a quiver in his voice growing.

Lilith gave a dramatic sigh.

"Tell him not yet, I have something special in mind for him, now leave, I have a very important meeting to prepare for."

The small man nodded, and bowed before stepping away and heading back to the elevator. Little did he know that Damon would be the last person he ever spoke to, and the last person he ever got mad.

I slept on the ride back to the home ground. The last trick really had drained me totally. The sleep was fitful, plagued with scenes of the deaths of my team mates the Sanitarium. But there was something else mix in with them, I don't remember much but I do remember a blood red sky and a massive black shadow rolling over it blotting out all light.

I woke when the plain landed, jostling me out of my sleep. I felt recharged, like I could fight again, but also like I could use a few more hours rest. I raised my head and rubbed the sand from my eyes. I looked up to see Krylica and Zerath had already unfastened and were exiting the craft to talk with Nick who had come to greet us. I Unfastened my restraints and fallowed close behind. When I met up with everyone Krylica was explaining in detail what happened. My stomach tied its self into a knot at the memories. I stood motionless the whole time Krylica recounted what happened. Once it was over Nick took a deep breath and ran his hand through its neon blue hair.

"I cant believe that she saw it coming, or that she would release all of her million dollar test toys and kill who knows how many of her employees." Nick said, sounding shaken.

"She's a god damn monster. She would kill everyone just to get a piece of Gane's DNA." Zerath said, his voice level but hate and disgust dripped from his tongue.

I looked at Nick, my gaze level with his.

"She treats it all like a game, cus that all it is, and the prize isn't my DNA, it's my still, unmoving, cold body." I said.

Nicks looked at me for a long moment thinking about something.

"Well if she thinks this is a game, well let's take the fun to her." Nick said, his face carved with determination.

I gave him a quizzical look not quite understanding what he was saying.

He gave me a mischievous, rueful smile.

"Remember what you said Lilith told you when she had the meeting with her?"

"Ya, what about it?" I said, not thinking much about it.

"Well when she said she had partners that work in a Church five miles west of the town. I had it checked out and sure enough we found an old run down church, where what looks to be a Necro cult works. I want you to go down there and weed them out and get rid of the head priest." Nick said his smile unmoving even as I gave him a look that can only be explained as "you have got to be kidding me".

Before I could speak, Krylica was the one to talk.

"Nick, please tell me you are joking, we just got back, we are tired, hungry, low on ammo and weapons, and we kind of lost most of the team to evil, soul eating monsters that nearly took out heads off too." She spoke in a voice the slowly moved from being up and plight and nice but it faded rather quickly her almost screaming in Nicks face. The whole time when most men would have curled up into a ball and started sucking their thumb Nick stood there unfazed. When she was done Nick spoke.

"I'm sorry guys I really am but we are short handed at the moment, and I already sent two squads in and I've lost contact with them. I need you to do this, Ill give you three hours to get fed, rested and resupplied."

Nick said with a shrug, before he turned and walked away.

I was back on the transport again. I was locked in and ready. In the three hours we were given I had eaten enough meat to scare most people in the mess hall, grabbed a new set of 9mm pistols, two more machetes, a few more grenades and some more throwing stars. I held off on the shot gun this time, because I felt it would be a little over kill.

Now I sat in the carrier, buckled in for the ride and ready to sleep the whole way. Zerath and Krylica joined me shortly after I was settled. Krylica looked like she had grabbed an MRE to eat and slept the whole three hours, but she had her guns, extra ammo, and to more Hand Cannon class fifty caliber pistols. Zerath, well he was unreadable from behind his mask but he sat straight and stiff unmoving like an automaton. He had his shot gun, extra ammo as well. It looked like they both learned something from the Sanitarium. We took off and I took a nap, I needed my energy and eldritch magic drains it rather quickly and I wanted to be ready for anything. I woke up from someone shaking of my shoulder. I lazily opened my eyes and looked up to find Krylica shaking me awake. I looked around to see that the back hatch was open and Zerath was looking at me, waiting for me to get moving.

"We're over the LZ. We need to move now!" Krylica Shouted trying to be heard over the sound of the engines. I nodded and freed myself from the restraints. I walked over to Zerath, trying to keep my balance on the shifting, rocking plain. I looked down through the open hatch to see that it was about a thirty foot jump to the ground. I gave Zerath a confused look and pointed to my wings. He angled his back to me and pointed to a cylindrical disc shape on his back. He squeezed a trigger in his hand and four small jets of purple flame swiveled out from inside. I nodded realizing it was a jet pack. I looked back to see that Krylica had one too, she also held on in her hand for me but I waked it away. I jumped off the carrier in a cannon ball. The wind hit me like a baseball bat to the chest as I fell. I spun ass over head again and again. Spinning faster and faster till I finally opened up into a swan dive. My thin body and light weight make me in a sense aerodynamic. I shot downward, the wind flowing around me rather then slowing me down. I closed my eyes as they were watering so bad I couldn't see. I slowly opened my wings lifting their angle at the last second to stop my tall and turn it into a glide. I angled inward on my glide, circling the landing zone like a hawk looking for prey. I landed with a slight stumble underestimating how fast I was going. Zerath landed right after I did. Hit touched down and looked at me only saying two words.

"Show off."

Krylica landed after him. We all stood there for a long moment looking at what lay before us.

In front of is silhouetted by the setting sun was an old rundown looking church that looked like its might be haunted. The Church was made of old wood planks and cobble stone. The wood was warped and broken in many places, and the stone was smoothed down from years weathering. I didn't like these kinds of places; they always gave me the willies. Just looking at it made my hair stand on end, and a deeper part of me wanted to growl at it, but I fought back the urge.

Zerath was the first to start towards the old building. Krylica and I quickly fell into step behind him as he walked up to the door, where he stopped. He looked at the door for a long moment, and then kicked it in with a loud crunch or breaking wood. The door fell inwards, a hold size of a shoe in the middle of it. The door struck the ground and splintered, sending dust, dirt, and cob webs into the air. Light flooded through an old stain glass window at the back of the church. The light showed every particle of dust and dirt that now hung in there air giving everything foggy, almost dream like look. Just in front of the stain glass window was a large old wooden cross. Tall wood pillars lined the inside of the building around the edges. In the middle of the Church was the large open area where all the pews where set up. Down the middle path between the pews was a small trap door that led to a stair case that led downwards into the shadows.

I heaved a sigh.

"Oh goody more fun with stairs." I spoke in a tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Stop you're whining, the sooner we finish the sooner we can get back and you can sleep to your hearts content." Zerath said.

We moved down the stairs into the shadows. We entered a room of stone. It was perfectly cubical aside from the corners of the floor and ceiling where what looked to be cube like outcroppings looked to grow. All across the walls, floor and ceiling grooves were carved in line, the lines never turned of curved, and they were all straight with sharp angled ninety degree turns. This gave the elution that there was no up or down in this room that the ceiling and walls to were floors. It gave the elution that gravity had no control here. In front of us was and archway carved into the stone wall. We stepped through it to find another room with same stile walls, floor and ceiling but this time the walls floor and ceiling also had symbols carved in them. The room was long and rectangular with round pillars on either side of the massive room. The pillars also had the odd pattern. But the most striking feature about the room by far was the sunken floor in the middle of the room. It looked much like a swimming pool with steps leading down to it from every side, but instead of being filled with water it was filled with blood. Surrounding the large pool of blood were what must have been the cultists. They stood around the pool of blood their hands raised high, as the all chanted as one in a tongue I didn't recognize. Their skin was pail, their lips and nose burned off giving them an in human skeletal look. All or their eyes were pure white, glazed over with no color or pupil.

As one the chanting stopped, all the cultist lowered their hands and pulled out long daggers. I reached for my swords ready for their attack. But rather then attacking us, they all slight their throats, stilling there blood into the pool. With the extra blood the level of the pools raised, the blood in the pool found the little lines on the floors. It was then I realized the lines were canals meant for the blood. The blood flowed through the canals, fallowing the intercut lines. The disturbing part was when the blood reached the walls it didn't stop; it fallowed the canals up the walls and pillars across the ceiling till very inch of the canals was filled. Then the runes all across the walls began to glow in deep purple. A wind rushed through the room dinning the torches that gave the room its light. The Cultists bodies melted into a black smoke like mist. The black mist pulled together into a single cloud over the center of the blood pool. Some of the blood began to pull up forming what looked to be and oversized human body. The black smoke clung to the newly forming body and melded together forming what looked to be an ash grey skin over the blood. In moments a massive figure stood in the center of the pool, it stepped out of the pool hefting a massive two headed axe made of bones. Its stood at around twelve feet tall with a body that looked like that of a weight lifter, Its ash grey skin was just thin enough so you could see the individual lines of muscle and tendon move. It wore no shirt but what looked to be tattered black, blood stained executioners' pants. Over the things face a brown fabric back covered its eyes and nose but a large piece was cut out so that its mouth was visible. The creatures' teeth were like that of a shark, large, triangular, and jagged. Large cuts run up his cheeks making him seem like he was smiling all the time as well as making his mouth larger. Where his eyes would be black X's were sown onto the bag.

The creature strolled around to the edge of the pool closest to us and looked up at us. He seemed to be examining us.

"Welcome privileged guests to the Temple of Disation." The creature spoke in a raspy, gravely voice that might have been normal sounding for someone of my size but it mad him sound almost high pitched.

"I am the Avatar of shadows blood and will happily oblige to help you to the after life. But if you turn down my offer Ill still have to till you for a I'm oath bound to protect the high priest." The Avatar continued.

Zerath pumped his shot gun.

"Screw this. You're wasting my time." He said as he leveled his shot gun with the Avatar and pulled the trigger. There was a bang and the Avatar stumbled back but nothing more. The Avatar righted himself, and as we watched the bullet wounds closed up seeming to melt away. He whipped the fresh blood off his chest and spat out each piece of shot, one bit at a time. He then chuckled at us.

"That was, entertaining but pathetic. None of you mortal men could harm me." He said as he rolled his neck cracking it.

Krylica stiffened at the Avatars remark.

"Did he just say that I look like a guy?" She asked in anger and shock. I didn't answer up took a step closer to the Avatar and further away from her. Id rather fights him then her, because Krylica is much scarier.

"Oh he did not just drop that gauntlet. I am gunna kick his ass so hard he'll never need a chair again." Krylica said as she knelt down and pulled out the machete she yoinked from me at the Asylum from a sheath in her pant leg.

This was going to get really scary.

Krylica charged forward with the machete in hand. She set loose a battle cry to shake the heavens. Zerath laid his gun across his shoulder and watched. I looked at him in panic.

"Aren't you going to help her?" I asked.

"Hell no, she might kill me along with the big dude. Besides the last person to call Krylica was man was a high ranking commander in the Guard. They still haven't found all of him, hell they haven't found most of him." Zerath spoke in a laid back tone as he watched the fight unravel before him.

Krylica charged the Avatar, he swung is ax but she rolled underneath it. She landed between his legs lancing the blade upward to where the groin would be. The Avatar bellowed in pain. He kicked her out from under him, rolling her near the pool of blood. She pulled her self up and found lying next to her was one of the daggers the cultists used. Krylica threw the machete like a throwing knife at the giant. It hissed through the air striking him in the chest, sinking in to his flesh up to the hilt. Krylica grabbed the dagger and ran at the Avatar again. Again he swung his axe but this time lower so she couldn't roll under. But that was not her plan; she leapt up over the axe, and planted the dagger up to the hilt into the Avatars shoulder. Krylica then kicked off and used her jump pack to get a little extra distance. The Avatar bellowed in pain. The machete was absorbed into the Avatars flesh like Zeraths shot pellets and like the shot he spat it out like a bad piece of apple. But the dagger was not drawn into the skin, the Avatar pulled it out and threw it to the ground, and the wound it left remained open. Thick red blood oozed out of the wound like tar. Krylica grabbed two more of the Daggers and ran at him again. She jumped at the giant but he was faster, he struck her with the flat of his axe, sending her flying, and crashing against a pillar. She hit the stone pillar with a crack and fell like a rag doll to the ground. I stepped forward ready to help but Zerath barred my path with an arm. I looked at him and he shook his head. I looked at Krylica with worry. She raised her head, and climbed to her feet, a small trickle of blood flowed from the corner of her mouth; she wiped it off with the back of her and spat out bloody tooth. I could tell now that she was really pissed. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, centering herself. Slowly her features shifted and changed, black fur covered her body, her feet elongated, her ears moved atop her head, changing to a more triangular shape. The one feature that really caught my attention was the long, black tail that seemed to move of its own accord at stuck out from the one of her pant legs. She was a Were Panther in a sense not a natural one but one none the less. The one thing that got me was that although she was taller, but unlike me when I changed she was not broader, her clothes still fit her but looked to small for her.

Krylica reversed the grip on one of the daggers she held and cut a small hole in the back of her pants and fed her tail through the hole. She shrugged off the jump pack and readied herself. She broke into a full sprint faster then I could fallow, before I could figure out what happened she had jumped landing on the Avatars chest. In the blink of an eye the fight had been won. She reappeared next to me now a head taller then I, rather then a few inches shorter. She looked at her handy work like an artist would a painting. I looked back at the Avatar and with a closer look I saw what had been done, I knife hilt could be seen sticking out from the Avatars lower jaw, the blade running through his head and into the giants brain, as for the other blade it was lanced through the creatures neck piercing both the carotid artery and jugular vain. But oddly the body still stood, swaying back and forth like a dead tree about to fall.

"He has good balance Ill give him that much." Krylica said not looking away from the swaying corpse. Her voice sounded almost the same but with a slight purr in an under tone of her speech.

"Well that was impressive Ms. Fuzzy Legs." Zerath said, his arms crossed over his chest. Without a word Krylica slapped him across the back of the head.

"You can thank Gane for this, he was the one who got me to face my fears and take control of the animal inside." Krylica said giving me a kind smile that wasn't sarcastic in the least. This threw me totally off balance, I cleared my throat unsure how to take the comment and continued forward.

At the end of the large room was a metal door. I walked around the pool of blood to take a closer look. The large door is scripted with glowing runes that glowed with a purple light; this was different from the red of all the other runes. A quick examination revealed that I had no idea what runes scripted on the metal meant. Zerath stepped up to the door as I backed away. He prodded the handle of the door with the muzzle of his gun. Nothing happened so nuzzled the handle yet again with the gun. Still nothing came of it. Zerath laid a heavy hand on the handle, and waited for a moment. When nothing happened he pulled on the door. Zeraths body stiffened, an arcing network of purple electricity covered his hand. Arcs of the power jumped up his body. Before either Krylica or I could move to assist him, Zerath was thrown from the door a good seven feet. Both Krylica and I moved to check and see if he was still alive. But before we had taken three steps he sat up straight with quick speed.

"It did NOT just do that." Zerath stated as he jumped to his feet. He walked back towards the door. As he did so he scooped up his gun of the floor and began to shoot that the metal door. The pellets bounced off the door harmlessly not even leaving so much as a scratch. With every step he pumped and squeezed the trigger until he reached the door its self. As he reached the door he released one hand from the shot gun and drew it back for a punch. The fist sailed through the air with a whistle and struck the door with a thick sound. Before I knew it Zerath was in the air again. This was almost comical; in fact it was comical to Krylica because as Zerath flew again she cracked up into laughter. Again he hit the ground, again he got up and picked up his shot gun as he marched toward the metal door that had made a mockery of him. But this time he did not fire at hit, he only reached inside one of the pouches at this side and pulled out a small disk. Zerath thumbed the small button in the on the center of the disk and slapped it against the door. The disk stuck, the button now glowing red and flashing. The flashing sped up, blinking faster and faster.

"I recommend we take cover." Zerath said in a level tone, holding only a hint of satisfaction. I turned and ran, lunging behind the nearest pillar.

I looked back to see Krylica and Zerath walking towards me at a brisk walk but no more. They reached me and turned around to watch the door.

"I hope you know when I said take cover, I really meant walk a safe distance from the area, not jump behind a pillar like a fool" Zerath said with a tone that shown his smile under his helmet.

Krylica chuckled at his remark but said nothing else.

I gave Zerath a nasty glare but kept my thoughts to my self. I brought my gaze back to the door just in time to hear a loud crack like that of a fire work going off and see a flash of black light… yes black light. The door was enveloped in a shadow like glow of black energy for a fraction of a second before there was a flash of light, with the flash came the loud crack. I covered my eyes with the back of my hand as the flash stung my eyes.

"You gotta love anti matter bombs. Just enough of the stuff to take out a wall but not the building all in one little container." I heard Zerath say as I coved my eyes.

I lowered my hand but everything was blurry and out of focus. I blink heavily and looked around. I coughed at the sudden amount of dusk thrown into the air. I could see that Krylica and Zerath were both dazed from the blast to.

"I thought that was just a Breacher. Where the hell did you get an Anti matter bomb?" Krylica asked in a chocked voice as she tried not to cough.

"Where else? I stole it from The Guard on our last ware house raid. I caught on of them trying to use it and…lets just say he won't be using it or anything else with his hands any time soon." Zerath said, his voice unchecked by the dust because of this helmet. It must have an air filter, I thought to myself.

The dust settled to the ground and the scene cleared. I took one look at the door and couldn't hold back the smile.

"Looks like your special toy didn't to the trick." I said.

"What? That's impossible! That thing should have turned the door to particles." Zerath exclaimed at my remark.

"Then look for your self." Krylica said stepping forward to get a better look at the door.

Zerath stomped forward to see for himself. Sure enough the door remained unscathed. The only difference was that the purple runes now glow more brightly. But after a moment the strong glow began to fade back to normal. Zerath screamed in frustration and ran at the door at top speed his head lowered in a ramming position.

"That not a good…" I was cut off from warning Zerath when he hit the door with his head. He was flung back far enough into slammed against the pillar I took cover behind. He struck it with a heavy thump and fell to the ground with a second heavy thump.

"Idea." I finished.

Krylica closed her eyes, lowered her had and held the high bridge of her nose with her thumb and for finger as she shook her head in aggravation. As she shook her head her feline features faded out of existence leaving behind the Krylica I had known for what had seemed like years, but was only a few days.

I walked over to Zerath and extended my hand in assistance. He took it and pulled himself to his feet.

"Thanks for that. I had to get out a little frustration." Zerath said. He gave a grown and placed his hands against his lower back and pushed. The result was a load cracking sound. Krylica rolled her eyes at this and reached inside a pouch at her side. She removed at disk much like the one Zerath had used from the pouch.

"What good with that do? It's just a Breacher. It's not like it will do anything to the door." Zerath said looking at the disk Krylica held.

"Ho really?" Krylica asked a note of knowing in her voice.

"That things got one fifth the power of the anti matter bomb." Zerath said.

"Well since the direct approach failed, and we've seen what comes of you using your head, let's try the indirect approach."Krylica said as she turned away from us and walked to the door.

I gave Zerath a confused look, but he only shrugged in response. Krylica reached the door and stopped looked left, then right. She then took three steps to her left and set the Breacher on the wall. On contact a series of small claws from the disk attached to the wall. Krylica pressed the button daintily as if she were a southern bell, wearing wet nail polish. But that was where the fines ended, as she turned around and walked back to Zerath and I in her heavy combat boots.

I readied myself for another loud crack, but it never came. Instead of a loud crack there was a deep humming coming from the wall.

"I think it's broken." I said

"SSHHH." Krylica said, silencing me.

The deep hum grew louder and deeper. It reached a point beyond human hearing but I could still hear it, and feel it. The tone was approaching painful when suddenly the wall caved in.

"Breacher finds the right sonic level for the wall and breaks it using vibrations at that frequency." Zerath said.

I looked from him to Krylica. She only shrugged and said "If the door is unbreakable the break a new door."

I gave an approving grunt coupled with a mischievous smile that I wore all too often.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: All part of the plan?

We stepped though the hole in the wall one by one, starting with me then Krylica, and then Zerath taking up the rear. We stepped into a large room about half the side of the one we just left, but this one was darker. The runes across the walls glowed just as the others but the glow seemed to thicken the shadows. The only light came from large Blazers placed in each corner and the middle distance between each corner against the wall. From where we stood the entire floor was a set of descending stairs a large square landing at the bottom. This landing was covered in fire light but no blazers stood anywhere near it. In the light a large circle of cultists stood, chanting in an archaic language. Their bodies moved like dancing flames but they all moved as one, in the same motions and speed but there seemed to be no pattern. In the center of the circle as a single giant symbol formed in blood, but not painted, it was raised like droplet of water or a stone floor it was raised with a rounded dome like shaped about it. Standing in the over the symbol in the middle of the circle was a single man.

He must have been the high priest of the group because his robes were covered in runes, written so small and so close together that at first glance it looked like is whole body was glowing yellowish red with power. A hood with a tall point atop like a wizards cap covered his face. As we entered he raised his head to us. My body stiffened at the sudden movement like that of a predator eyeing prey. Shadows still covered his face but his mouth could be seen, lips sown so tightly closed that they were pursed together. His skin was ghost white, the color of a dead man. His tight, stitched lips smiled. The smile might have been kind if it weren't for the slightly disturbing details. He said his hands and his voice echoed about the room.

"Welcome my children. I have been expecting you. Welcome to the temple of Disation." The priest said with an almost warm, knowing voice. He spoke like a kind grandfather to his grandchildren. The way he spoke put me at ease almost magically. But the feeling left me when I noticed that his lips did not move when he spoke though I heard him clearly.

Suddenly all of the cultists stopped moving in unison. They stopped dead, standing frozen like statues, their hands stretched toward the sky. The sleeves of their robes slid down their arms revealing pail white skin marked with dozens of gruesome scars on each arm. My attention was drawn to a metallic shine on the finger tips of each cultist and what I saw made my stomach tie into a not and sent a crack running down the wall of my sanity. Bits of metal stood at the tips of each finger of every robed man and woman. I realized that the finger nail had been ripped out of each finger in turn and a razorblade was implanted into the finger where the nail once was. Dried blood covered the fingers, seeming to frozen in the path from whence the flowed out from the cubical of the finger and the skin around it.

The high priest walked out of the circle of frozen shapes, almost floating the movements where so inhumanly graceful. As he exited the circle I could feel his eyes one me though I could not see them.

"You may proceed my brothers." He said his voice now hard and firm like that of a commander in combat. Without hesitation each cultist brought his fingers to his neck and in one fluid motion they prated the skin that kept their life within their veins. Each distorted shape that was once a man or women fell to the floor, in unison, much like they had danced as one, they fell as one. The high priest didn't even look back at the sound of lip flesh striking a stone floor.

The Priest reached us at the top of the stars, I drew a pistol and aimed it at the shadows within the hood. Zerath brought the barrel of his shotgun to face the chest of the shrouded figure. Krylica was already in position before Zerath or I with her fifty caliber pistols aimed at the man's chest as well.

"Now, now children, this is no time to play guns. This is a time for introductions." The high priest said in a cheerful voice. As he spoke he placed one white, smooth hand on the barrel of Zeraths shot gun, and the other on the tops of both of Krylica's pistols and slowly guided them to a safe position away from him, I fallowed suit lowering my weapons. No one resisted his guidance or request. His voice was almost hypnotic. It wasn't mind control but more subtle them that. I was suddenly queues to se what wise man had to say.

"I am…" He said after we all had relaxed. He stopped for a moment as if trying to remember something.

"Darn, what's my name again in this life?" He asked himself. He whispered a few names under his breath trying to recall, shaking his head with each one until he found it.

He threw back his hood revealing the rest of his face, and his twinkling blue eyes, and his shinny bold head.

"That's right, it's Alistair. My name is Alistair Dunscam. Sorry if it took me a while, I've been reincarnated so many times, my names are as old as time." He said, his lips though not forming words curled into a smile as he spoke.

"Nice to meet you , I'm-" Zerath started but he was cut off my .

"Please call me Alistair and I already know you Zerath or Should I say Kaith." Alistair was, his voiced turning to firm, smug tone of pleasant knowing. But the change was equally dramatic if not more so In Zerath. His body froze in an instant at this remark.

"And I know you as well Krylica, or should I say Kate." Alistair stated as he looked at Krylica but his gaze settled on me and rested there for a long moment before he spoke.

"And I know al to much of you Gane, or shall I call you by your true name Clawtaine?" He asked me as he took a step closer. My face paled thoughts raced through my mind.

How did he know my name? Who is this man? What is he?

His smile turned to something of a satisfied smirk.

Now that I have your attention, I can remove that measly charm spell from you." Alistair said as he turned his back to us and walked back down the stars. As he did so he waved his hand behind him in a half hearted gesture. Suddenly Tribal tattoos of black ink faded into existence on Alistair's bold head. His voice lost its hypnotic feel and tone.

"Before you ask the first question I will answer it for you so we can get to the point for time is short. You are wondering why if I had cast a spell to charm you could you see my mouth. The answer is simple. True the spell is meant to make myself more appealing to you but I must show one feature of my real self and I chose my mouth as to show you my deception is to stop you from shooting me. Where as if it was my scalp for instance I could have hidden that and killed you while you were instanced. Think it as a sign of good faith for the moment being." Alistair explained.

I shook my head trying to clear it of the dizzy feeling as the spell wore off. I regained me stability and looked past the man called Alistair and to the center of the room.

Where the bodies had once been now only empty robes lay. The raised symbol of blood was now a perfect circle looking like that of a giant droplet of blood.

Alistair spun around to face us, his horrible face in full view of everyone. He was old, very old, but no rankles marked his body, only sunken cheeks marked his great age. His eyes were not a shining blue but pure white all the way through, growing yellowed like that of curtailed milk where his pupils once where.

"Now see if you had walked in to see me like this you would have shot me on the spot."

"Your damn right." Zerath said, raising his shot gun, leveling the sight with the inhuman man below.

Krylica placed her hand on the top of the gun and slowly lowered it, without taking her cold eyes off the man calling himself Alistair.

"Speak what you want but be quick and careful, Zerath isn't the only one eager to spill your blood." Krylica spoke in a level to that held not a hint of emotion. But I could tell my the look in her eye she strongly distrusted and distasted Alistair, but both she and I knew that we should hear him out.

Alistair nodded at her in approval and understanding.

"Good choice. Now you must understand that this has all been foreseen, everything for your awakening in the cave." Alistair looked at me as he spoke this.

"To your discovery over a rather furry friend." Alistair's gaze moved from me to Krylica.

"To the loss of you close friend me the iron arm." With this Alistair's gaze fell upon Zerath. Zerath stiffened even more at this remark. His body was shacking slightly. No doubt that Bolts death was still a fresh wound.

"I have even for seen the end of this fight, its victor and the price it comes at." Alistair's gaze fell heavy on me again, but even with his freakish eyes I saw something in them, something of almost sorrow.

Alistair continued on tarring his gaze off me and turning around.

"Yes I and my brothers helped Lilith with her little pet experiments and it was our magic's that made her wolf men things able to hurt you Clawtaine, I mean Gane." His correction of my name was almost an insult the way he said it, but I held my tongue, this was very interesting to hear and might have something useful.

"But we only did this to move things forward. And besides the monsters wasn't the only thing that our magic was used for." Alistair said, his voice showing his smile even if his back was turned to us.

"What do you mean?" I asked, almost unable to stop myself from speaking.

"I was the one that woke you from your deep sleep." Alistair said in an off hand tone as if it was a trivial fact.

Shocked, stunned, surprised, all of these words come close to how I felt but the one word that really describes my feeling then was Dumb founded.

"So you were the one that put me in the cave?" I asked.

Alistair sighed.

"No, that was Lilith, she had knocked you out and thought you dead, but little did she know that she only put you into what is almost an Arcane comma, which made you stronger, changed you like a caterpillar into a moth."

Zerath scratched his head at this.

"Don't you mean butterfly?" Zerath asked.

Alistair shook his head before answering.

"Butterflies are beautiful creatures which your friend is not, moths are a mark of death and destruction, which is exactly what Clawtaine here his, as an Invisus he could shape the world of rip it apart, and given that his Eldritch color is black, this is a mark if unmaking, despite the silver it is a mark of death."

I lowered my head in shame. It was true, I knew that my power was an art that could create as well as rip apart, but I have almost totally used it as a weapon.

"But that's beside the point, my point here is that the world is changing and soon very soon, things will go completely made, things that you have never seen before will crawl forth out of the shadows, flames, oceans, caves, and even the earth its self. Be ready for what is to come. That is my first warning but my second hold closer to the future."

I was only half listening, thinking about, my powers, and my other form, how they both are nothing more then tools over war, but most of all I thought of my loosing war with the animal inside. I couldn't help wondering if I was distend to loose that fight and loose myself totally to the rage, hate, and lust for blood and fire.

"At Lilith's request we forged her a weapon, as a parting gift from us to her. It is a Vorpral Blade. These blades are very rare and very dangerous, also called the god eater blade, the soulless blade, and the soul eaters blade. I'm guessing that by the names you can tell what makes it so dangerous, it eats the soul of how ever it kills. She asked for it to be made with Iron and the claws of some of here wolf pets, because they're claws prevent you from healing." Alistair said this looking at me. These last few lines really caught my attention. I raised my head to give Alistair a glare of cold hate.

"And you gave this vile weapon to her?" I asked, my voice was rich with hate and furry. Krylica and Zerath looked at me. I could smell worry on Krylica and both it and panic on Zerath, but I didn't care.

Alistair turned to face me; he closed his eyes, and shrugged.

"Of course I did, how else am I supposed to move things forward in the great plan of my master?" As he spoke this is still lips formed a frown that said everything. It spoke of why should I care, why does it matter, it's not my fault.

My temper was growing short and I could feel something clawing at the back of my mind, wanting blood. But I stayed my hand trying to calm myself down.

Alistair went on.

"But fear not, I have the tool that can save you from this weapon of evil." Alistair's tone was bitterly sarcastic.

"Everyone has many skills, but that is not what will help you, not bettering your skills but fixing your flaws. But to fix them you must face them first."

Alistair spread his arms wide, his hands raised as if he was making a proclamation.

Each of you has one fatal flaw. Zerath you are too eager for action and glory, you must step back and look at the situation before you charge into battle guns blazing. Krylica you are to head strong, you must learn to take the words of others, and look at them, know that you aren't always right and nothings is as it seems. Gane, you have the toughest road ahead to fix your flaw. Although you must fight the beast within, that must take second to your loyalty. Your too loyal to others, you don't look at the consequences if you die trying to save on person. Be more disloyal."

I clenched my fists at this. He must be joking, or totally mad. I had had enough of this. He gave Lilith a weapon to kill with, and then gives us personal advice and insults my loyalty.

"Now my children take my words and use them for the Unmaker's benefit, may he smile upon you today." Alistair went on like a preacher but I wasn't listening, I was already charging down the stars unsheathing one blade.

"Gane, No!" Krylica shouted, but to my ears she was distant, and unable to stop me. I lunged at the old man, my blade marked for a strike to remove his head. Just as I was about to reach him, his body melted into mist. My blade only met damp air. I stumbled off balance from the momentum of the missed strike. I righted myself just in time to see that five feet away Alistair stood I, spun and lunged at him again, but this time he vanished but no mist took his place. I landed on all fours trying not to face plant into the floor.

"Well someone has a nasty temper." Alistair's mocking voice said behind me, I spun to cut his legs out from under him, hold my sword in a reversed grip. Yet again I struck nothing. But this time he hadn't moved far only a foot or two to my left. I turned to face him, throwing my palm out to face him, I launched a bolt of black eldritch energy at Alistair, but when I looked at him directly, he was gone. My bolt struck a wall, but rather then removing a large chunk of the wall, my bolt struck and sizzled away. The sound was that like frying bacon.

"Come now, you can't even hit an old man, if you can't touch me what are you going to do about your self?" Alistair spoke from a corner of the room, he was hidden in shadow but I still threw another bolt at him. This time I saw him take a step forward and then vanish before my bolt struck. I cursed under my breath as my bolt hit another wall.

"And I know how you feel about Kate."Alistair's whisper came to my right ear. I was just starting to calm down and think when, my rage flared up. I spun around my fist seeking the high priests face, but all it found was open air. A shot rang off, I looked up to find that Zerath and Krylica had joined the fray. Krylica had fired the shot but I didn't see where it was aimed. I heard a hiss of air behind me and the words "peek-a-boo" come from behind. I turned just in time catch a flash of purple light in my face. With the flash came a stinging pain across my face and a blast that knocked me into the air. There was another hiss of air and when my eyes adjusted he was gone. I landed on my feet and slid a good 3 feet before I stopped. I saw Alistair standing behind Zerath. He stood as still as a statue, his face frozen and void of emotion. I shouted out a warning but as Zerath turned Alistair was gone with no trace of movement. I made a quick glance at Krylica to see Alistair behind her. Zerath shouted a warning and again he was gone before she saw him. I realized where he was in an instant. I spun still crouched, sweeping my leg across the ground. Sure enough Just as I can around there was Alistair not but a foot behind me. I put some extra strength into my sweep kick, but just as I was about to knock Alistair's legs out from under him, he jumped into the air but his legs never flexed or moved, he just seemed to shoot up and come back down. As he landed He stretched out his hand and grabbed my face. This time I got a good look at the Rune painted in blood on his palm, it flashed purple and in reaction I felt another flare of pain, and I was knocked back. I hit my back and slid. When I regained my vision I found my head almost touching the toe of Krylica's boot. She stared down at me for a moment then stepped over me looking around the room, spinning in a circle with each step anything that moved was fired upon. But the only thing to move were shadows in the dancing light.

"Come now, you can do better than that." Alistair's voice came echoing across the room, filled with false encouragement. I couldn't tell where the voice was coming from.

A bolt of red light shot out of the shadows to my right and struck Zerath in the chest, knocking the wind out of him and throwing him to his back.

I turned to look into the shadows but knew before I saw that he wasn't there. I was getting fed up with this, it was time to end it. I pulled myself to my feet and looked around, trying to find something to end this fight. A bolt of red light spawned from the shadows at the far corner of the room behind a brazier, I side stepped it just in time. An idea came to me at that moment. I looked to Zerath

"Do you have any flairs?" I shouted to him.

Zerath looked at me for along moment, the scent of puzzlement on him, but he finally nodded and reached into another pouch at his hip and withdrew a green ball the size of my fist.

I pointed at the pool of blood.

"When the time is right plant it there!" I shouted.

I turned to Krylica, caught her eye and pointed to the braziers. She nodded in immediate understanding.

I chucked a block of black and silver energy at the brazier furthest from me, striking it on one of the legs causing it to collapse spilling seething embers across the surround floor. Krylica Shot the brazier opposite my first target, taking it down just as fast. I produced a whip of eldritch magic and lashed out at the two nearest me. They crashed to the floor with simultaneous clangs as the struck the stone floor. Krylica shot down two more with ease. Only two stood, I shot a bolt at one as Krylica shot the other and with that the room was smothered in blackness. The only light was that of the glowing runes across the walls and the dying embers on the floor.

"Very impressive, blinding your opponent so I can't see you but nor can you see me." Alistair spoke in a tone that was almost pleased.

"But what if I don't need to see? did you think of that?" Alistair asked, mocking us at what he thought was our mistake. Zerath took this as hit moment, there was a popping sound and a green light grew to life as it was tossed into the blood pool. sure enough Alistair was right there next to the blood pool, right in the middle of our little group. I lunged at him, he was taken by utter surprise and I managed to tackle him to the ground. He was strong for his age, very strong.

I struggled against him, but it was almost like he wasn't totally there, I would have a solid grip and then whatever I was holding to would just turn to smoke in the flair light. He struck me in the sol plexus with a knee knocking the air out of me. Before I could regain me wind, He punched me across the jaw knocking me on my side, He stood up looking down upon me with pleasure. Behind him I heard a click, and could smell the scent of fresh gunpowder and Krylica behind the gun.

"Dodge this." Krylica said and pulled the trigger.

The gun shot rang throughout the room. Alistair's body fell, limp and unresisting of gravities pull. But just before he struck the stone surface his body exploded into mist.

A laughter filled the room, coming from everywhere at once.

"Well done my children, you have passed, this test but there is still another yet to come before the final confrontation. But be warned, one will not walk the path of victory with the others at the end of this trial." Alistair's voice spoke, coming from everywhere at once.

"Now go and get back to your little home, you must rest before you walk into hells gates."

Krylica, Zerath and I looked at each other in confusion and suspicion of what was going on. But after a long moment where nothing happened we left the temple and called our ride, and headed back for a well disserved nap on my behalf.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Friends Betray

The ride back was mush the same as the ride out, only this time it was Krylica napping in her seat and me watching her. My mind wondered off about what the hell Alistair said.

"I know how you feel about Kate." What did he mean by that? I didn't really have any feeling for her, I mean she was really quite beautiful in her own way but she also scared the living hell out of me. I liked to have her on my side, but I didn't like, like her. The only thing we had in common been that neither of us was excepted by society, well that and that we both had more...furry form. After a moment's thought I realized one other thing we had in common, we both had no home to go back to and no one waiting, or watching out for us. Well she had Nick but that was more then I had.

Suddenly the momentum changed and I knew were head reached our destination. Zerath sat up straight and unbuckled from his seat. I followed suit, unbuckling and standing, but I also found my legs a little stiff. I stretched out and walked around the space a few times as the carrier descended. I looked at Zerath the pointed to Krylica, silently questioning if I should wake her. He shook his head and gestured to himself. He inhaled deeply then let out a shrill whistle from behind his helmet. Krylica nearly jumped out of her skin in panic.

"Wake up kitty cat, we've reach our housing." Zerath said with a light tone.

Krylica looked like she was about to dismember Zerath. She unfastened herself from the seat and stood up sharply.

"You little piece of shit! I'm going to nit a sweater out of your intestines!" She shouted as she stomped over to Zerath.

"Sounds warm, once your done could I try it on?" Zerath responded in a mocking voice.

Krylica drew back her fist for a strike when the carrier landed knocking all of us off balance. We all caught ourselves before anyone fell and turned toward the hatch. The door slowly lowered to the ground and just beyond the metal ramp leading down was Nick with eight arms men standing at the ready.

I wasn't surprised to see Nick, but the armed escort came as a surprise. I walked down to meet Nick, Krylica right next to me and Zerath just behind me.

"So how did the mission go?" Nick asked.

"We cleared the area and killed the leader of the cult." Krylica spoke in a rigid voice, as if speaking to Nick as the superior officer he was and not the almost brother he was to her. This didn't sit well with me, it didn't feel right.

"Good, that should cut off her ability to create those creatures. But down to more serious business, I have been talking for peace with BIO, and they agree under one condition. They want Gane." Nick said not meeting my eyes as he spoke. I felt the blood drain from my face, my legs seemed to turn to pudding.

"But Nick! Gane has done more for us in two day then we could have every hopped to achieve in months, and has saved Both Zeraths and My life more times than I care to count." Krylica protested.

Nick shook his head.

"It doesn't matter, I said I would do anything for peace and I WILL do whatever it takes to end this bloodshed." Nicks voice was as cold and firm and stone.

"Now Gane, will you go peacefully?" Nick said, as he spoke he looked me in the eyes, but what I saw was not the man I saw when I first came here. He looked hallow, mad, and he looked like he was dreaming.

I regained my senses from the feel of shock and with them came a flood of emotions, hate, anger, betrayal, sorrow, disgust, but most of all I felt helplessness.

"Of course not! Are you mad! Lilith is lying, she only wants me and once she has me there is nothing stopping her from whipping you from the pages of history!" I shouted at him.

Nick sighed.

"So sad, I hopped it wouldn't come to this. But it looks like you weren't as giving as I thought." Nick said.

"Kate, Zerath if you would be so kind?"

A moment of confusion struck me, before Krylica kneed me in the abs, knocking the wind out of me.

"Sweet dreams freak." Came Zerath voice behind me.

In the corner of my eye I caught The butt of a shot gun coming down, then all went black.

When I regained sense of the world, the side of my head stung, my cheek felt crusty, and I was sitting in a chair. I opened my eyes, my vision was hazy, but it cleared after a few heavy blinks.

I was in a small room with metal walls, just like the rest of the base from which I had helped Nick and the others. Nothing was in the room but a television attached to the ceiling and a camera in the corner of the roof watching the room. In front of me was a normal looking door, next to the door stood Zerath, talking to him was Nick. I snarled and made to lung at him but I was stopped short. I looked at my hands to see that they were attached to the chair in which I sat by thick maniacal welded to the arms of the chair. No doubt me feet would be in much the same constraints.

"Well it's nice to see you awake Gane, I want for you to see this historic moment of peace making history. That's why I found this old television and had it brought in." Nick said. He still looked just as mad, and just as empty but the dream like look on his face was gone. I spat at him in disgust.

"Blue haired freak." I said my voice cold and heartless.

Nick only shrugged.

"If that's what you think of the man that's about to end this war, then so be it."

He stepped to the door, opened it and stepped out.

I shot my focus to Zerath without a moment's hesitation.

"And you, you pile of scrap and meat. How much do they pay good little soldiers to back stab someone that called them friend? Or maybe they offered you a free oil change." I spat at the traitor standing guard, his shot gun in hand, standing at the ready. He didn't respond to my remark. But I could smell something on him, tension, the smell of stress. It was about now that I realized I was reading emotion my smell.

How was this possible or was Nick not the only one losing his mind. I remembered reading somewhere that wolves communication with hormones to give different scents to inform others how they are feeling. Was it possibly something like that, I remembered smelling the emotions of Krylica and Zerath back at the church/temple but I didn't even think about it then. Was I loosing myself to the more animal half?

My thoughts were cut off as I saw Nick appear on the television. He had an armed escort of two men with him. Only a moment later three Guards of BIO corp. showed up, all of them in the same, high grade electronic armor. One Guard stepped forward and began speaking, to my dismay the televisions sound system seemed out of commission. The man and Nick spoke for a few moments, their heads moving as they spoke and using their hands in sub conches gestures. Then Nick stepped up to shake the man's hand. As he did this the man with drew a pistol and shot Nick point blank in the head. Before Nicks escort could react the other two Guards gunned them down without hesitation.

The door to my room suddenly broke open. Krylica stepped into the room, punched Zerath in the face hard enough to knock him down, the turned and shot out the camera to the room.

Zerath pulled himself up holding his helmet where his jaw would be.

"You hit like a girl." He said his voice distorted by this jaw.

Krylica shot him a nasty look.

"That's because I am a girl." She said, and without warning she kicked Zerath in the groin, dropping him again to the floor.

"That hard enough for you?" She asked as she stepped over his moaning form to reach me.

"Sorry about hitting you earlier, I didn't have a choice if we were going to get you out of here." Krylica spoke as she unlocked my manacles.

"Wait, what? You knew this was going to happen?" I asked utterly confused.

She grabbed both of my hands and pulled me to my feet. For a spilt moment we were close enough to kiss, but she spun around and helped Zerath to his feet.

"Sorry, Nick told both of us his plan when we were here last, while you were in the mess hall, he told us he was making a treaty with BIO corp. but the treaty wasn't in stone." Krylica explained.

"He said that we had to be ready at a moment's notice to take you down for the good of mankind." Zerath continued his voice a little rough given his resent tone change from the groin kick.

"We both knew Nick had lost it so we agreed that we would follow orders to knock you out and take you into custody." Krylica said

"Then when things went south like they just did, we would bust you out." Zerath finished.

Krylica stepped out of the room, and Zerath gave me a quick run through of the plan.

"We need to get out of here as soon as physically possible. With Nick gone BIO is not going to hold back anything. They are going to take this as our chance weakness, hitting us with everything they got in hopes to eliminate this thorn in their ass for once and for all." Zerath explained.

"But that means this is going to be a slaughter fest. The Rebellion is going to get turned into cheese food spread." I said.

"Well more like artificially processed food spread cheese wiz, but in the truth of the matter, not really. Before Nick lost the marbles, he played this smart, we gained allot of powerful resources, tools, and allies, but we held all of them in reserve, to hide how much of a threat we really are. But with Nick dead, the two men that were second in command are less, slay as Nick was and they want to unleash all hell on BIO." Zerath went on.

It was then Krylica stepped into the room, tossing me my sword, throwing star set, shot gun, and pair of pistols.

"And with all of this destruction and chaos going on outside it should cover our strike quite nicely." Krylica said as she straightened her armor and checked her weapons. I noticed that these weapons were not Krylica's normal tools, they looked much higher quality. Each with a Silencer, laser sight, scope, custom handles and triggers.

"I've been saving these sweet heart breakers for this day. My custom pistols each with custom spiral, armor piercing rounds." Krylica said this as a mother would speak of her child winning first place in a high stacks contest.

"Alright crazy lady, you can marvel over your creepy love of guns later but right now we need to get to the car and why do you have a sniper rifle on your back?" Zerath was caught totally off guard and taken way off track by the large sniper that I just noticed on Krylica's back. I really can't explain how scarily large this rifle was other than that the body of the gun was as tall as Krylica, the barrel which was detached was a good three feet taller than the five foot ten girl carrying it.

"Why not? Figure I could have some use for a tank killer." Krylica said casually with shrug.

"Tank killer? That things a fucking titan wrecker. Whatever, we need to get going." Zerath proclaimed.

We stepped out the door and broke in to run just as the earth shook and the lights flickered. I fallowed Krylica and Zerath through the maze of halls and rooms. Men and women ran in every direction through the halls, running to stations, checking power, gathering supplies, and whatever else needed doing.

We reached the hanger and parked fifty passes out was a combat runner vehicle with a man leaning against the hood of the car. He had black skin with bleached dreadlocks, a large scar ran across his right shin which was visible from his cargo shorts.

"Thanks for the car Kicks, I owe you one." Zerath shouted as they reached the car.

"You owe me seven now brother."Kicks spoke in a thick Jamaican ascent as he tossed the keys to Zerath. Kicks walked away and Zerath jumped into the driver's seat. Just as he put the keys into the ignition he froze. He leapt out of the car and ran back to the door from whence we had first come.

"Where do you think you're going?" Krylica shouted.

Zerath turned around not stopping his run.

"I need to do something real quick, I'll be right back." He shouted back. I hopped into the passenger side seat while Krylica hopped into the open back, pick a random seat and propped her legs up on the seat across from her. We didn't have wait long for Zeraths return. He strolled back with what looked to be a camera tripod in his hands. With its black and silver coloring and its oddly shaped form it looked all too familiar.

"Sorry I thought I left the oven on." I could hear the grin in Zeraths voice as me spoke. It took me a moment to remember where I had seen that object before, but then I remembered the armory.

"The Matter Particle Disrupter?" I said questioningly.

"Yep, looks like she's being taken out for a test drive a little early." Zerath said then kissed the gun.

"What do you say baby? Let's go on a stroll through town." Zerath spoke to the gun as if it was a woman he had just met.

Zerath wanted to drive but Krylica strongly disagreed with the idea of him driving let alone him driving with an experimental weapon in his lap. They bickered about which of them was going to drive while I stood by watching idly waiting for it to be over and done with. Finally the decision was made, I have no idea how I got wrapped into it but somehow in the flurry of words I winded up as the Driver. I mean don't get me wrong I know how to drive and even had my license but I'm pretty sure it Expired fifty-two years ago. The only that I'm really concerned about is the fact that I have never done combat driving before, and I'm quite sure that this is not like playing Halo. I voiced my concern to Zerath who sat shotgun. He only laughed and said "Drive fast, don't hit anything, don't get us killed and most of all don't scratch the paint… Or is that the other way around?"


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Post-Apocalyptic Paradise

As I drove through the city, I noticed how suddenly everything changed. Where once there were districts dividing the rich and poor now everything looked the same, scorched earth, broken glass, and cascaded rubble. The walls that separated the different parts of the City now lay in ruin.

Gun fire seemed to be the bird song in this city of hell because it rose into the sky from seemingly everywhere at once. Shots answering each other in a deadly mating call. Explosions rang out, shaking the earth and moving the stone of buildings. I drove, moving fast, avoiding the sounds of gun fire as much as I avoided the hazards in the road. A conflict would only slow us down and we needed to get to the center of the city as soon as we could. Shadows flittered on either side of the car, moving as if hunting in a pack.

"Looks like BIO sent their pets out for a walk." Zerath shouted over the wind.

As if in response a Mutant Wolf stepped out of the shadows in front of the car. It was exactly like the ones that tried to eat me when I first met Lilith. Its bold skin seemed to glow in the fading light of the day, its white maddened eyes locked on me. I pressed on the gas and struck the creature head on. It hit the hood of the car and disappeared bellow the front tires. I looked in the rear view mirror hoping to find the Wolfs twisted carcass. But to my dismay the dastard although bruised, blooded, and with what looked like a broken arm and jaw was still chasing up. For some odd reason this brought a question to mind; why the hell do dogs chase cars? Then with the answer came an idea.

Dogs chase cars to catch them, so let's let this dog have it. I hit the brakes, and threw the car into reverse and hit the gas. The Wolf had no idea what happened as the rear bumper struck it in the face.

"Chew on that for a bit." I shouted over my shoulder.

I backed over the Wolf then threw the car back into drive and drove back over the mangled body. A satisfyingly squishy crunch came from under the front right tire and I knew that that dog wasn't going to be chasing cars again. I continued forward on my rout but had little time to think on what I had just done, because I heard Krylica shout from the seats behind me. I looked back and saw her aiming her sniper at the roof tops. I fallowed her line of sight and saw that the Wolf I had just turned into road kill had eight or nine fluffy friends jumping from roof top to roof top. They looked like flees jumping around, but they managed to keep pace with he car.

This disgruntled me greatly. They had the high ground meaning that they had the advantage. I thunderous clap of sound rang out from behind me and suddenly one of the Wolves was gone, in its place was a cloud of red mist and a few chunks of red meat. I knew that had to be Krylica with her stupidly huge sniper. Another shot rang out and a chunk of a building the size of a human torso was gone. I could almost hear Krylica say "fuck, I missed." Under her breath.

The rumble of an engine suddenly came up behind us, I looked in my side mirror and sure enough a rather high tech looking hover assault car was behind us and catching up face. With a glance at the driver who else would be driving it then a Guard. Plasma fire came from the Hover car, one shot taking off the passenger side mirror. Zerath spun around in his seat, the MPD at this shoulder ready to fire. I nudged him with my elbow, as he looked at me I gestured to the Wolves on the roofs.

"You take the mutts, I got the guests." I shouted. Zerath nodded and realigned his aim. He stood on the seat holding the gun tight. After a few seconds I was by the corner of my eye a Wolf jump from the roof aiming for the car as a landing point. Zerath pulled the trigger, an ark of green light lunged forth from the gun striking the Wolf in the shoulder, but it was enough given because the wolf was rendered to nothing but dust and fur as it feel on top of me. But it appeared that Zerath under estimated the kick of the weapon, because when I turned back to look at him while I was spitting Wolf dust out of my mouth, he was almost entirely out of the car hanging but his foot which was hooked under the seat. I leaned over and grabbed him by the belt and hoisted him back into the car.

"Thanks this thing has got a hell of a kick." Zerath said looking down at the weapon still in his hands.

Up ahead the road forked sharply left and right. I turned on the flashers signaling a left turn then jerked the wheel sharply to the right. The car nearly tipped over but I righted it before things came to that. I looked in the rear mirror again and the Guards were still behind us.

"You really think that signaling wrong would trick them you idiot." Came Krylica's voice from behind me.

"I had to try something, besides who ever said I was trying to loose the car?" I asked smartly.

"Well then who were you trying to loose? Your imaginary friends, cus the Wolves are still on top of us." Krylica shot back.

I cursed under my breath, just as Krylica fired off another shot and another Wolf was turned into another red cloud.

"Hey dude, are you shedding?" Zerath asked from right next to me. I looked down seeing that I was totally covered in the fur and dust from the Wolf hit by the MPD.

I shot Zerath a cold glare.

"What, it looks like you have really bad dandruff." Zerath said as if in explanation.

"This is your doing smart ass." Was my only reply.

I swerved to avoid a section of collapsed wall and straightened my path as soon as it was passed. The moment I was back on the straighten road a thunder clap struck not fifteen feet from the car, sending rubble and dirt into the air. I again swerved in panic as

My heart pounding in my chest to the rhythm of war drums.

"Looks like the good old rebels found the mortar battery access codes." Zerath said in a calm tone as if he was talking about the weather.

Krylica leaned back against the arm rest as she switched out clips, her head between Zeraths shoulder and my own.

"Damn I was hopping it would take them a little longer so we would be out of rang." She spoke in an out of breath voice but not to fare from Zeraths fare weather talk.

I swerved to avoid more fire from the car behind us.

"You could have told me we have mortars!" I shouted. I was rather disgruntled with their lack of information given to me.

"Ho no. We don't have mortars, BIO has the mortars, the part of the cities defenses against the out side, we just have the codes to activate them and fire them." Zerath said, as he fired of another shot from the MPD. His voice never faltered as he spoke.

"Should we tell him about the Sentries?" Krylica asked. She shot off another round this time hitting a crumbling wall, causing it to collapse, taking three Wolves with it.

"No, there's no need to worry him more, he will learn about them when we meet them." Zerath spoke as if I was a child learning about the ways of the world.

"You know I can here you." I said, still not pleased with the way both he and Krylica were suddenly treating me like a child.

I looked in the rear view again, holding the collapsed wall slowed the pursuit of the Guards but my hopes were shattered. The car was closer then ever.

"Fork" Zerath said calmly.

"What do you mean by fork?" I asked still looking back at the pursuers.

"Look for yourself." Zerath replied.

I turned back to face the front to see another fork in the road. I cursed under my breath, and signaled for a left turn.

"Not that again. Your wasting your time." Krylica said before she fired off another round, this one missing a wolf by mere inches.

I smiled to myself as I turned sharply to the left, fallowing my signal. The followers had angled right but had to change course suddenly when I went left, causing them to loose their peruses distance. The road I had just entered was short ending in a sudden right turn. I turned the corner and hit the gas. This road to was short and ending in a fork. I rapped on Zeraths helmet with my fist to get his attention. When he looked at me with what I could only guess to be a glare under the face plate, I pointed at the building at the end of the road. With one hand of the wheel I held up two fingers, then pointed straight forward, then pointed up at a slight angle. Zerath nodded, then held up three fingers. This time I nodded.

"Ok, what the hell are you two planning?" Krylica asked. I only gave her an evil grin and floored the gas peddle. Zerath held up three fingers, then slowly lowered them, one by one. When the final finger dropped we were thirty feet from the building in front of us. Krylica screamed and ducked back behind the seats awaiting impact. Zerath fired another beam striking the wall turning it into a liquid. I hadn't expected that but it didn't change things much, aside from the landing. Not even a second later Zerath fired again but at the Ceiling of the first floor, through the new front door he had just made. This time he swung the been in a half ark causing the ceiling to fall in making a make shit ramp. I hit the ramp at full speed making my teeth rattle and my eyes roll as we hit the rim of the ramp. We few up to the second floor the hood barely grazing ceiling as we came down of a desk and lurched forward. The building must have been an office because as we sped forward we plowed through desk after desk, papers filled the air like giant pieces of confetti. About fifty feet ahead was a wall of windows, like many office buildings had. I kept my course and when I was the blur of motion outside the windows a dark smile crossed my lips. The window exploded into shrapnel as a tall, yet hunched figure stood in the newly made hole. I struck the new comer without a second thought. Sure enough a mutant Wolf was clinging to the hood of the car, half on half off. It glared at me with those beady eyes with hate and hunger. We plunged down landing on the ground with a slight angle. With the impact the wolf was cut in two by the front of the car, its back half laying in the dust behind us. The dying creature slid off the hood with a last howl of pain. Now came the hard part. We kept our momentum as we landed but now the car was fish tailing because of the liquid wall on the tires. I turned against the side each time trying to fix the car course. For one last slide I turned into it pulling the vehicle into a full three-sixty spin before I hit the breaks. Zerath gave me I high five and shouted his approval of the stunt. While Krylica leaned forward, her face a little green.

"The fall, was awesome Ill give you that but the spinning." She paused and leaned over the side of car to vomit then came back.

"Don't ever do that again." She Finished.

"Wow that's better then what she told me the first time I pulled a spin. She said something about using my entrails for jump rope if I ever did it again." Zerath said.

Krylica shot him a glare.

"That's because you made the car spin not once but eight times one a mud road to confuse a pack of Mutant Dogs."

While Krylica and Zerath argued about past mission involving spinning, I took this as a chance to see where I landed us, and if you could drive out.

I had managed to land the car at the end of what looked to me a court yard. It was grass covered with side walks cutting into four perfect grass squares. In the middle was a single large rectangular pillar with a pointed tip. The yard was outlined with streets and four exits although two where blocked off by rubble.

"Well it looks like you landed us in Kings yard, or as we call it Hitler's Grove." Zerath said looking around.

"And it looks like our friends wont be joining us." Krylica said pointed to the blocked exit to our left.

Another Mortar hit a building two blocks to my left causing it to crumble under its own weight.

"Do I want to know about the nick name Hitler's Grove?" I asked a little concerned.

"Simple, a few years back a riot rose up around here about the companies' treatment of people. In response the most violent protesters were arrested and lined up here. Then they were each executed by one man with a rifle going down the line." Krylica explained. Her voice almost glowed with hate and disgust. I shivered at the thought of that, imagining it happening right in front of me.

Zerath saw the look on my face and took up the rest of the story. He leaned over and said "And that's not all. After six or seven were killed the others broke line and beat the executioner to death, and there just so happened to be a pack of Mutant Dogs that entered the city at that time. I'm guessing you can to the math, BIO set its pet in here and had them kill all of the rioters, then the Guards killed the Dogs."

I was sick to my stomach now. This was sickeningly inhuman. But a hollow sounding bellow from the other side of the open space took my thoughts off the story. I looked in the direction of the bellow to find a walking nightmare of metal and flesh. It was human looking but unnaturally tall. It stood at around eight feet tall, very muscular with an odd skin tone that was almost clay colored. The thing hand no hair and had a metal band wrapped around its head covering its eyes. This band had two narrow slits for the thing to see and was connected to the creatures head by narrow spikes and a few heavy surgical staples. It had not lips to hide its brutish teeth. But the worst and most interesting part of this creature was this hands, or more appropriately what replaced its hands. From the elbow down massive cylinders of metal too the place of arm and hand. Each of these pieces of metal had what looked to be large spikes sticking out the sides. It took me a moment to realize those metal arm replacements were meat grinders. At this point I noticed the yellow growing from the things chest, it looked to be a rode of some sort with and metal hold around it aside from the front.

"Um, Zerath what the hell is that?" I asked pointed to the now approaching thing, my voice barely held calm as I noticed the blood covering the meat grinders.

Zerath took one look at it and his answer came almost coldly calm. "Remember back at the Asylum when we had all those creatures trying to eat us?"

"Ya." I answered.

"Remember those freaks that tried to turn you into a mid hall picnic?"

"Ya."

"Remember what I said about hope you don't meet one upgraded with weapons?"

"Please tell me your joking, you have got to be kidding me." I said finally getting the point Zerath was trying to make.

"Sadly he's not joking, Now get this car in gear before that bastard makes us mince meat!" Krylica said as she drew a sight on the thing that was now lumbering at us. I did as she said and made for the road outlining the court yard.

"Before that bastard gets to close you should know that we did give these guys names, They aren't the only type of upgraded freak but these ones are by far the worst, we call them Flesh Pounds." Zerath explained. Krylica took the shot hitting the Flesh pound in the upper left side of the chest. But instead it being turned into red mist or even having a hole in its chest, there was what looked to be a dent, granted a big dent, and blood spilled forth but the creature didn't seem to feel it, but only for a few seconds. The flesh pound stopped its lumbering march, swaying from side to side, it looked down at the wound in its chest. Then the Flesh pound raised its head to the sky and let out a bellow of berserking rage. Its arms flew out to either side and waved wildly, as this happened the yellow glow in his chest turned to bright red. The meat grinders began to spin and the Flesh pound charged.

"You have to kidding me!" Krylica shouted as the berserk creature closed in with alarming speed. I increased the speed of the car. The whole time while doing so I kept repeating "Crap, crap, carp, carp, crap!" as if all of hell was hot on my heels. I fallowed the road turning with it exactly in dime turn accurate. But the Flesh pound caught up with remarkable speed. It made to step in front of the car with one meat grinder held high like a club, I swerved left barely missing a strike that ruined the pavement bellow it. The strike was so close that the paint was scratched. I drove across the court yard at top speed, turning to avoid the pillar in the center. Zerath brought the MPD to bare upon the raging Flesh pound. It charged again at us but I kept driving straight so I could give Zerath his shot. He found his mark and pulled the trigger ready for the kick, but rather then an ark for green light there was a slight popping sound. I turned sharply to avoid the on charge of the creature and drove past it close enough I could smell the rot on its breath, and see both the speckles of blood across its body and this bulging veins across its body like the roots of an evil plant. I drove to the end of the court yard, pulled around and stopped like a matador waiting for the bull to charge.

"God Damn it! What a time to die one me."Zerath proclaimed as he beat the palm of his hand against the inactive gun.

"Krylica couldn't you just hit the giant glowing target in the middle of its chest?" I asked

She leaned back so she could look at me eye to eye.

"Are you nuts? That's a nuclear fuel rode if that's pierced the whole block is ashes. Besides I doubt that even my rifle can break that shell." She said this as if it was all common knowledge.

I looked up at Zerath. I didn't even have to ask.

"Ya I've got something for this guy." He said dropping the MPD and pulling out a single shot gun shell and held it up with pride.

"This is the shell from hell. Eighteen point needle shot each made of an aluminum alloy harder and sharper the steel, each coated special explosive chemical designed to go off when in contact with the iron of the blood stream. I made this baby myself." Zerath spoke with pride and didn't falter even as I had to speed the car away from the still angry Flesh pound.

"Great. Use it." Krylica said without hesitation.

"Well one problem. In order for this to be a finishing blow without taking out the block I have to get up close to the bastards head." Zerath said this time faltering several times in the span of the single sentence.

"Well great, why don't we just walk up and ask it not to pound us while we kill it." Krylica spoke sarcastically.

"Don't worry Zerath I've got you covered, just be sure to take the shot, ho and Krylica, your not going to like this." I spoke with an evil smile without taking my eyes off the charging creature.

Zerath loaded his shell and buckled in, Krylica moaning in distaste of the up coming event as she to buckled in.

I floored the gas peddle heading straight for the eight foot tall beast. Waited for the last second, then kicked the break with all my strength and turned the wheel sharply. As the car turned ninety degrees, I reached over the edge of my door and release a concussive blast of power flipped the car over the Flesh pound. Almost in slow motion I saw the end come to the Flesh pound. As the car reached a full tilt so as I looked up the creature would have been right there, Zerath aimed and fired. A spray of needling seemed to slide forth like snakes, striking and digging deep through the skull and into the soft grey brain tissue beneath. The car landed on all four wheels but as it struck ground I could feel what must have been an axel snap. The Flesh pound ran four more steps before it stopped and turned to face us, it bellowed another war cry then was silenced as its head erupted covering the surrounding grass.

I looked over to Zerath.

"Ok I've gotta ask how did you know that wouldn't have set off the fuel rode?"

He looked at me for a short moment before answering.

"Dude, I have stuck grenades in that hole of a chest and not even that set it off."

Krylica leaned forward and looked at me.

"In short he guessed."

We climbed out of the car quite sure that it had out lived its use. Krylica shouldered her sniper and prepped her pistols. Zerath eyed the MPD before tossing it away. We discussed briefly over the plan again. We were about a mile and a half from where we were supposed to ditch the car but this would do. From here we would split up and continue to the center but without attracting too much attention. Before we left Zerath gave both Krylica and I ear buds so we would all stay in contact.

We split up and headed our sprit ways, to meet back up in front of the BIO Corporation building.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Furry

Lilith looked out from her spot above the battle scarred cityscape. She loved the sound of gun fire and the feel of the earth shudder beneath her feet. Her workers feared the mortars attacking this very building but she had for seen all of this, or better said the high priest had for seen it. She had a dead lock installed on the cannons so that they could not target anywhere within a two hundred yard radius of this building. She let the rebels have the mortars so they could have a fighting chance, or so she would lead them to believe. Below the city was scared with craters, marked with ruined buildings, littered with fires and the enter body of this city seemed to be oozing a thin curtain of smoke. Above the sun was beginning to set, its rays of light dancing across the layers of smoke giving a look that was beautiful. But the way this beauty was created was disturbing once realized.

The elevator doors opened. Lilith turned to face who ever had dared interrupt her personal time. Stepping out from the elevator was a large hulking man, the one who had first encountered Gane when he was brought to this very building.

General Damon looked just as tough as ever but one thing was different this time. His right arm was now made entirely out of metal up to the shoulder.

Along with Capt Damon came a tall, slender man with sleeked back hair and a ferity face behind glasses.

"I brought General Damon up from rehabilitation as you asked mama. Is there anything else you need?" the Ferity man asked.

"Yes, have someone bring me the armor and sword." Lilith spoke with a slight hint of amusement.

"Yes mama." The man responded with a bow and walked back to the elevator. Once the door shut then the real conversation began.

"How is the new arm?" Lilith asked.

"Much better then my real one, I should have had made the change years ago." Damon said, flexing his new bionic arm with pleasure.

"Well you have it now and you know how to use it, so fix the problem." Lilith spoke as she turned her back to him and looked back out the window at the scene of glorious mayhem.

The battle ragged all around me. I was an indestructible blur of black and sliver. I danced the steps of death, I was a graceful devastation, I was a blade of fate, and with every strike a life was extinguished. The hems of battle sang within my soul, the steady beating rhythm in sink with my every step and every strike. Plasma and bullets filled the air around me like buzzing insects flying past at high speeds, but none touched me. I jumped spun, slashed, stabbed and arced with my blades, now coated in a sheath of black and silver flames. Nothing could stand before me; all fell before me and my singing blades of ending. I was a blade singer.

Zeraths voice came through my ear piece sounding strange as he spoke through thick static.

"Hey Claw, do you have tabs on Krylica? she's not responding to her ear bud."

I landed from a back flip, as I did so a bolt of plasma hissed over my shoulder, but I was unfazed. I sprinted forward stabbing the Guard holding the still smoking gun in the stomach. A wet gurgling sound boiled up from his throat but I would see nothing behind the armored face plate. I pushed forward towards a small group of Guards using the corpse as a meat shield.

"No, last I saw her was at the car and she was heading North West to her checkpoint." I said trying not to strain my voice as my new shield took the brunt of a grenade blast.

"Well I'm just about at her check point now." Zerath replied.

I continued my push forward, and was about nine feet from the Guard squad when Zerath's voice came over the ear bud. His voice was level and calm but I could read both fear and rage in it.

"Claw you're not going to like this. I just found both of Krylica's custom 9mm's on the roof of the warehouse checkpoint."

I could feel the color draining from my face turning me a ghost white. Before I could respond a voice came over the inter comm. The last voice I ever wanted to hear.

"Well Gane or should I say Clawtaine, I must admit that you truly have fucked up and screwed over my plans for a new Eden, but I have underestimated you for the last time." The melodies voice of Lilith spoke in a tone of pure pleaser, like that of a boy sticking bugs in the microwave and watching them explode.

"Here I have something that you seem to hold rather close, and unless you want her spread across the city in a fine powder I recommend that your crawl back into the black pit of a cave I put you in and stay there."

Lilith continued.

The cold dread I felt was replaced with a single minded desire to extinguish Lilith's flame for good. Hate filled my mind clouding my thoughts.

I planted my boot on the back on the corpse held up right by my blade and kicked.

Rage flooded my body.

The strength of the kick was enough so that the body flew forward, off my blade on into the group of Guards. The body took three Guards off their feet when it hit them, seeming to fly like a vengeful spirit.

I unfurled my angelic wings from my back and leapt into the air, launching myself towards the BIO corps. Head Quarters located in the center of the city.

Vengeance grew in my soul.

If Lilith even touched Krylica I would make sure heads would roll and none of them mine. Horns began to sprout from my forehead, growing lip saplings at high speed, curving with the contours of my skull leaving an inch space between my skull and the horn. A tail wormed its way through a hole in the back of my pants. The tail was long and slender like that of a monkeys, but tipped with a single bone spike almost like that of a scorpions. Gun fire range out, mortars blasted and cannons shook the earth. All of this was beneath me but I noticed none of it, my mind was locked in a single thought, to kill Lilith, end this all, and saving Krylica. I cared for her more than anyone else on this god forsaken world. She was the first person who understood my pains, sorrow, loneliness and the horrors I've been through. I never told her because I was scared. thinking about it know it sounds pretty damn stupid, I faced down a pack of mutant werewolves, two mutant assassins, and a giant spider without blinking but I can't tell a girl how I feel.

I had never thought about it but dare I say it I loved her.

There it was in the distance, a pillar of glass rising forth from the ground bellow, its angles making it look like a pillar of natural crystal, but it was fare from what it looked to be. Atop its roof two figures lay in wait for me. I hit the roof hard, landing on one knee, wings splayed, head bowed, dust sent up around me in a thick cloud. I rose to my feet sharply before the dust even settled.

Lilith stood not ten feet from where I landed. She clapped her hands in a sarcastic manner as she took three long, slow steps towards me.

Her fashion was rather odd at that moment. She wore her black, silk business suit with her red silk tie under a black breast plate. The breast plate looked to have demonic faces leering out of the armor, as if frozen there in eternal expressions, of hate, hunger, laughter, and madness. She ware armor of the same matching set on her forearms and shins and a single spiked shoulder plate formed to look like that of a skull. On the knee opposite her shoulder another skull rested there but with a single menacingly curved blade rising from the center of its forehead. This was a rather odd yet terrifying sight but the detail which sealed the deal what the one on her back.

It was a single massive blade almost as tall as she was, its base was rectangular, the farther up the blade you looked the wider is seemed to get until you reached a sharp decline to the blades tip. Its hilt was long and meant for two hands but could easily fit five of my own. From end of the blades hilt a spiked chain hung menacingly, tipped with a large, gruesomely shaped meat hook. Across the edge of the blade runes glowed a shadowy black seeming to smoke, while the whole blade its self glowed with a red aura about it.

"Well, it's nice to see that in the end you are a good little pawn rather then a knotty little rook. You did just as I hopped; I love it when a plan comes together." Lilith spoke with a nasty grin on her face.

My gaze shifted from Lilith's smirking face to the struggling form eight feet to my right. There Krylica sat on her knees, struggling against her restraints. She wore thick metal bracelets on each wrist and each bound to the ground by blue beams of energy. She thrashed and pulled against the restraints in s vain attempt to free herself.

Krylica threw her head up and shot me a look that spoke of anger at me and fear for me.

"Get out of here, run, it's a trap!" She shouted at me. But the warning came too late. It was then that I noticed the moving shapes crawling over the edge of the roof. I cursed under my breath. How could I have been so stupid? A glint of black metal flashed at the corner of my vision. It was Krylica's ridiculously size sniper rifle laying not five feet from its owner.

In a flurry of motion I drew the two 9mm pistols I held concealed in my coat. I withdrew them and aimed them at Lilith.

"Now, now dearest brother you wouldn't harm your own sister now would you? Please don't do anything stupid." Lilith's voice spoke only of innocents.

I froze dead at the word brother.

"What's the matter Clawtaine? You didn't know I was an Invisus like you? How else could I anticipate your every move down to this very moment?" She spoke like I should have seen this from the start. At that moment she unfolded a large pair of ghost white wings. But unlike my own wings these where leathery and more like those of a bat rather then a bird.

I stood there dumb founded, at the sudden turn of events. This explained a lot, like her sudden rise to power over the company then the country. It also explained how she could move so fast when we first met in her office, how she could have jumped so high and land with sudden ease behind her desk. The shadowy forms chose that moment to attack me from both sides. They're all too familiar bold bodies reflecting the light of the setting sun. The Wolves were back and hungry. I had moments before the revenues swarm overcame me. I acted fast, squeezing the trigger on my left finger. The Shot rang out across the roof. In a blur of motion Lilith spun around with all the grace of a ballerina and drew her massive blade as she came back to her original stance, the blade covering her chest. The bullet struck the blade and flattened against it before falling to the ground like a led snow flake.

This was my chance; I re-adjusted my aim at Krylica and fired with both barrels. Each bullet flew true and struck her bracelets that held her down. A loud clang reverberated through the air, sparks danced and the manacles fell to the cold ground with a thick sound that seemed muffled. The blue ropes of energy flickered before dyeing once and for all. I lunged towards Krylica holstering my pistols as I did so. The Wolves all jumped the both of us. She nodded to me in curt thanks and I pointed to the sniper rifle. Before I could utter a word a snarl erupted from behind me. I turned just as a lunging Wolf struck my squarely in the chest. I was knocked to the floor and slid a few feet with the wolf still atop me. I felt like a sled in an old cartoon being ridden by a comical dog.

The Creature atop me swiped with a clawed hand, aiming to remove my head from its perch atop my shoulders. I threw my head to the right, dodging most of the attack, but my cheek had managed to collect five thin scratches from which thick blood welled up almost instantly. I felt anger building within me again, my face contorted into a violent snarl and I made my move. I brought both of my arms up and struck the inside of both of the creatures shins with my forearms, knocking the legs off me, but the wolf regained its footing, each paw like foot on the ground on either side of me. I pulled my knees to my chest and firmly planted both my feet on the monsters chest, and kicked the beast off. The Wolf flew through the air like a bird its arms pin wheeling as it sailed over the edge of the buildings room. I arched my back, kicked my legs into the air, and flipped to my feet in a kip up. I redrew my 9mms and opened a hail of bullets and furry into the mass of Mutant Wolves before me. I chose one Wolf that stood in the middle of the mass and laid into him with every last round in each magazine I had plugged into my pistols at that moment. In the blink of an eye a corpse riddled with bullet holes fell to the ground, a pool of black blood. The sound of gun fire brought my attention around. I turned to find Krylica sniper rifle on her back and a pair of plain 9mm in her hands. It looked like the sly cat had hidden them in her boots or something along those lines.

She was in the middle of a seething mass of bold werewolves, each trying to devour her but all attempts looked to be in vain. She spun, ducked, kicked, jumped, slid, struck and fired. She was untouchable, Wolf after Wolf fell before her might. But one wolf saw an opening and took it. The wolf jumped high above the others and landed on Krylica's back, dragging her down. I looked on in horror upon the scene but only for a split second, I ejected the empty magazines from the pistols and reloaded. I walked forward pistols blazing into the mass of wolves. For each step I took three shots were fired. One by one the wolves fell until I squeezed the trigger and a dull click exuded from each of my weapons. A Wolf turned from the seething mass and lunged at me but I knocked it aside as I pistol whipped it across the temple, hard enough to feel the skull crack underneath the force of the blow. I threw the guns into the mound of rolling flesh and pulled the shot gun from its holster on my back. I pumped it and fired. Pump, fire, pump, fire, pump fire. With each shot blood flew into the air like a fine red mist, strips and scraps of flesh were tossed aside with each thunderous clap from the weapon. Again and again I fired, and again and again flesh flew with the occasional limb from the horrid feral beasts. Another Wolf leapt for me. It was about to land upon my head when I shot it. The force of the shot causing the corpse to arc over me and land with a wet thump behind me. The mound now consisted of three Wolves now fighting over Krylica. I pumped the shot gun again but before I could fire the mass shuddered. Suddenly with no word of warning the wolves flew into the air like scattered crows before a running dog. Where Krylica once was now stood a large cat. The cat stood on its hind legs and had distinctly human features. It stood up right like a man, it had hands, each clawed and holding a pistol, it was also wearing Krylica's shirt, and pants. The cats fur was a beautiful pattern of black with striped marks of crimson that seemed almost metallic in the light of the setting sun. Her eyes were the same emerald green, her face was shaped much like a panthers face but the features were much sharper.

Krylica gave me a wild grin, revealing her rows of pointed, flesh rending teeth. Behind her a wild tail flicked back and forth just as a house cats tail would when it sees a bird outside a window.

One of the Wolves regained its sense faster than the other two. It crawled to its feet and bull rushed Krylica. With a blur of motion she side stepped the charge and dug her claws into the creatures back. She then proceeded to use the Wolfs charging momentum to toss it off the edge of the roof. Krylica then without pausing walked over to one of the other two Wolves and rolled it off the edge using her cat feet, rolling him as though it was nothing more than a dead log. As she finished this task the last Wolf made to tackle her from behind but as it can up behind her I fired off my shot gun striking it in the lower back.

I pumped the shot gun ejecting the empty shell as I looked around the roof top for any more targets. All was till, every creature that still remained on the roof was still and unmoving. It turned to Lilith shot gun aimed at her chest.

"Well it looks like your little trap failed." I said with a smirk.

Lilith stepped forward with a sigh rubbing her temples with her fingers as if she had a massive migraine.

"How quaint. Never send a pet to do the masters job. I made the mistake of leaving you to die in that rancid cave. I'll be sure never to make that mistake again." Lilith spoke in a voice that held only the merest hint of annoyance. She planted her unnatural blade into the ground and leaned on it.

"Do you know what this is dearest brother? Of course not. this is a Vorpral Blade also known as a Soul Eaters Blade. It was a little gift from the High Acolyte of the Temple of Disation before you killed him." Lilith spoke as if the blade that the High Acolyte had warned me to avoid at all cost was nothing more than a pencil.

It was then I noticed several things, Lilith said that we had killed the High Acolyte when he had merely dispread. Call me crazy but if she thought him dead then to me that meant that they were not aligned and what he had spoken might just be true. I had to play along so Lilith didn't know that the Acolyte and I had spoken about this encounter. The Acolyte had said that she and I were siblings so I had to play along as if I had never heard that.

I looked at Lilith in shock and eyeing disbelief.

Lilith stood and wrapped one armored hand around her evil blade and withdrew it from the ground with ease and held it in a combat ready pose. I dropped the act of surprise in hopes of ending this fight fast. I fired my shot gun at her, with enough accuracy to have stuck her with a throwing knife. Lilith brought her blade around to block the shot across the flat of it. As soon as the shot struck the red aura of the blade it stopped and fell to the ground. I cursed under my breath and pumped the gun. I pulled the trigger but the only response to come was a dull click.

"Fuck!" I cursed aloud, unable to believe my luck. I looked down at my bandoleer for more ammo but found only one more shell. That was utterly useless at this point in the game. It was then I had a memory push its way to the front of my mind. It was a flash back to the mess hall just before the James and her group and I had gone to the Asylum. The knives that I had thrown how they had stayed alight with power even after I had thrown them, until they had hit their target.

Lilith was walking toward me at a leisurely pace and I was losing time. I vaguely saw Krylica making a wide circle around Lilith but I didn't think much about it. I ripped out the last shell from its place on my bandoleer fumbling with it slightly, put the shell to my lips and kissed it. I let my energy seep in to the shell turning it black with a silver sheen, silver tribal marks slowly crept across the casing and burned into place. I tossed the shell into the air and caught it, then I rammed it into slot of the shot gun. I tossed the shot gun into the air, Caught it with one hand, holding it by the pump, pumping it and tossed it again grabbing it by the handle. With one hand I aimed the weapon at Lilith who now only stood seven feet away.

"Your corrupted retribution of this land ends at the muzzle of this gun."

Erupting forth from the barrel of the gun flew eight black beads, each no bigger then an eighth of an inch in diameter, and each trialing a streamer of silver light. The projectiles flew true, passing through the vile red aura of the Vorpral blades as if it was nothing more then mist, and struck Lilith in the chest with a pleasant thunking sound. She stumbled back from the force of the shot.

"Nice trick though rather unpleasant, but not enough to get rid of me." Lilith spoke in a plight tone as she dusted off her armor. I cursed yet again at my failed attempt. I threw the useless weapon to the side and drew my blades. Taking a deep breath, centering myself I focused my anger and distain into energy. Using this energy I coated my blades in flames of black. They danced and shimmered with silver resolve. The shifting shapes of the black flames danced the air, eager for the battle that was on the edge of this moment. The flames crawled across my hands and up my arms, soon covering my entire body in a cowl of black and silver. Lilith's only response to this action was a chuckle that showed all of her malice and vile intent. As her chuckle rose to a shrieking cackle her body became enveloped in flames. These flames were a white akin to the black of my own but as they painted her body, oozing froth from around her I noticed that the flames danced and shaped in brief moments as that of faces frozen in agony and suffering. As I looked in horror the faces frozen in pain, began to thaw as to writhe rather then dance.

This here stood the true person that had done everything to me. This was the true being who left me within the bowls of a cave, who took the freedom from the people around her, who unleashed hell upon this earth. The Prophet my have been right, Lilith and I may have been birthed from the same event but she was truly my opposite. Where I try so hard to help she works so hard to hurt. Where I fight the creature within, she took it and made it stronger. She was more of a monster then those she made, more of an abomination then the one I fight underneath my own skin. I wanted to make her pay. Pay for all the pain she caused, pay in kind.

I charged, rushing at her with brutal furry. I wanted to run her through, my sword drinking her blood. But more then anything I wanted to take her pretty little head clean off her shoulders. Just as I reached Lilith I lashed out with one sword as thought it was a lance. She merely sidestepped the strike and brought down her black, on my back. I threw myself forward past the blade into a roll. Her sword hit the ground where I once was and sunk into the hard stone as though the ground as nothing more then hot butter. I rolled to my feet, ready for Lilith's next move in this game of chess. I was her blade still in the ground and expected for her to wrench it free. But rather then exert herself she gracefully and with ease lifted the weapon as though it was never stuck. Without warning Lilith raised her free hand and launched a white bolt of energy. I raised my left sword in a block. When the bolt struck the force of the impact practically numbed my entire arm. I lowered my tingling arm just as Lilith sped towards me. She brought her blade down aimed for my head. I raised my right blade in a block this time. As our blades met I was forced to one knee by the power of her blow. I lashed out with my other blade forcing Lilith to jump back. I got to my feet and stabbed my blades point first into the ground, the black flames around my body extinguishing into a black and silver aura of smoke. Only my hands remained alight. Black and silver whips of energy ran forth from my hands, curling and bending like snakes. I lashed out with one striking Lilith across the face. Her head snapped sharply to the right from the force of the strike. A long burn was visible across her cheek. She slowly straightened her head, visibly angered by my drawing first blood. Her face hardened into a stony expression of malice. In her free hand she from a whip just as mine but her was form of white Eldritch power. I lashed out again but this time with tendril of magic was blocked by Lilith's sword. The whip extended from my left hand and across the empty space to where it now stood rapped around Lilith's Vorpral blade. I lashed out with my other whip, but Lilith intercepted its course with her own whip. I noticed my chance to change the playing field and tore The Vorpral blade from Lilith's grasp, and brought it about in an arc around me. I swung it around me twice in a wide arc never making physical contact with the accursed thing. With a final spin I brought the blade about and struck Lilith across the side of the head with her own sword. She fell to one side, hitting the ground, her white tendril dissipating. I dropped the massive blade, for I could feel it nibbling at my strength through my magic whip. It was a weakening pain that ran through the magic up my arm and deep into my chest. The vile tool fell to the ground with a deep clang landing next to its owner. I clenched my chest from the pain and was relieved to feel it quickly dissipate. But my relief was short lived and quick to die in my chest forming into a knot. Lilith stirred, slowly raising her head, to meet my eye. Her gaze had lost any playful intent that it had held prier. Now all that lingered in those eyes was nothing but the craving for my death. She climbed to her feet. Massive, leathery white wings spread out to full length from her back. I could see her armor shift and mold to better suit her new frame to include her wings. With a single powerful push of her wings she was thrown into the air. Two whips of white eldritch origins unrolled from her hands. She struck out with both of them. Searing pain enveloped my neck It felt like I was being chocked by a tightening band of molten metal. I reached up and grabbed the glowing tentacles. My palms began to smoke on contacts, and I could feel the flesh on the brink of boiling. I couldn't breath, couldn't think, couldn't breath the molten grip of pain. I fell to my knees unable to break free, I felt so weak. Lilith Laughed, her voice soulless, cold, sounding like a blade repeatedly stabbing a fresh corpse. She raised her hands, lifting me from the ground and holding me in the air. I kicked my legs helplessly. The world began to swim and spin, fading in and out of focus and blackness. I couldn't break free and could feel myself falling into the blackness.

A blur of black movement soared into the field of my failing vision to land atop Lilith taking her back to the ground like a laden brick. The White force around my neck evaporated and I fell to the ground chocking, coughing and trying to keep contuse. In looked up to see through tear filled eyes that the black mass was Krylica still as fluffy as before who now stood on Lilith's shoulders rending and beating her violently the whole time shouting "This Is For My Sister You Whore!"

Lilith stumbled back and forth trying to fight Krylica off.

I slowly and shakily climbed to my feet, my strength returning, I focused a large portion of my aura on healing my hands and neck. I looked on in horror as Lilith managed to throw Krylica over her shoulders and off the edge of the roof. My face turned pale and I almost lost control of myself within, until I saw two furry set of clawed fingers holding onto the edge of the roof. Lilith calmly knelt down and picked up her Soul Eaters blade, her cuts already knitting shut, burses fading. She then walked over to Krylica, who was trying to climb back up over the edge. I gathered both of my own blades and hobble over to Lilith. When Lilith reached Krylica's fingers she stepped on them one by one. At that sight I sheathed my swords and hurtled into a sprint. I hit Lilith with all everything I had, knocking both her hand I off the roof top.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Reunions both kind and bitter

As we fell, the wind screaming across my face Lilith and I traded strikes. Blow for blow we matched each other with equal force and rage. Turning over and over each other we grappled, the rising wind stinging my face. I set a hard strike with a fist to her face. Lilith struck me across the jaw with an elbow. My world spun from the strike for a brief moment before I composed myself. But my composure came too late. Before I could counter Lilith brought her knee up hard between my legs in a brutal groin shot. I fell away from the fight unable to think from the pain. Lilith had other ideas; she grabbed my foot and yanked me back. She flapped her wings once to gain the upper ground so she could firmly plant her knees on my chest. I was still dazed unable to comprehend what she was about to do. She leaned forward and ran a hand through my hair before grabbing a fist full of it. She then jammed my head into the wall of glass windows behind me. Glass stabbed and cut the back of head and neck as well as my cheeks and sides of my face. Spikes and jolts of pain flocculated with each floor my head passed. Gritting my teeth against the pain I threw my legs up and wrapped them around Lilith's neck, and thrust my legs back down, taking her along. As I yanked her backward I rolled myself forward. Now I was the one with the high ground. Putting my glory aside I looked down past Lilith's shocked and angered face to see the earth bellow coming up fast. I lifted up a little from the wind as I opened my wings. I then kicked off using Lilith as the kick stand, giving that much needed help to reach the ground just that mush sooner. As I opened my wings to their full extent I was jerked up so hard my wings almost dislocated out of their sockets.

As Lilith Impacted the ground she sent up a dust cloud what blotted out the ground from my sight completely. I slowly glided in circles as I descended to the ground. I landed on the now cracked earth, quietly folding my wings back into place the moment I touched down. The dust was so thick I could only make out the merest outlines of objects. I wasn't even confident if I could have survived that fall, and even if Lilith did live through, she most likely wasn't in fighting condition. I walked forward find a crater scaring the concrete ground. In the thick blanket of dust I could barely see the edge of the crater opposite me eight feet out. The sound of shifter rubble came from within the crater.

"So she did live, big surprise there." I muttered under my breath.

I strolled up to the edge of the crater waiting in eager anticipation to see Lilith crawling out on all fours. But that was not the case. The dust began to settle and I could then see Lilith at the bottom of her new found home, stand up and dust herself off as if she had tripped rather then plummet to a near death from a hundred stories up. She looked up at me and wagged a finger at me.

"Now that was not very plight."

She then knelt down and plucked up her Vorpral blade. With a single leap and the aid of her wings she then jumped to the edge of the crater.

She gave me a kind smile that was almost heart warming before she slammed the flat of her sword into my chest so hard I was thrown backwards like a rag doll. I landed face first a good five yards or so from where I first stood. I let out a ragged cough as I climbed to my knees, breathing hard. I carefully placed the splayed fingers of my right hand on the rough ground before me. I let eldritch magic flow from my fingers. Blackness pooled at my finger tips and seep into the scarred ground like water. For a long moment nothing happened but without warning spikes erupted forth from the ground, shimmering black and silver. Starting with two gagged spikes then two more then two more, they formed a trail of stony destruction rushing with surprising speed toward Lilith. Each earthly spike that reached forth from the depths was larger then its predecessor yet smaller then its offspring. Chunks of stones ranging from pebbles to boulders rained down in every direction with each explosive out burst. When the chain of outcropping spikes was just about to each Lilith I knew I had her. I expected her to leap to one side or the other in an attempt to escape but she merely gave me a playful wink and stabbed her black blade into the earth at her feet. Cracks ripped the skin of the stone before her and vile red light flooded forth. The cracks spread like a blight crawling up the pillars of stone I had just created, creeping from one to the next. The silver and black shimmer died with sudden effect with the blight touched it. The pillars stopped their rushing spawning from the ground mere feet from Lilith. All was silent for a still moment before all hell broke loose. While fighting Lilith I had failed to notice the ever growing crowed of Guards that now all stood surrounding me, weapons at the ready. At the front of the Guard was an abomination of a man. He was truly massive and covered from head to toe in countless scars, he entire left arm up to the shoulder was mechanical. After a moment I recognized him, he was the large intimidating man who met me in front of BIO Corp just before I had first me Lilith, then called Red. It looked like the poor bastard was thrown into a wood chipper and super glued back together. He snarled at me, as he heaved a mini gun in one hand. He walked forward, stepping a little lopsided because of the massive gun. He stopped to yards from where I now stood. The look in his eyes was one of beyond insanity, the fact that the rest of this face as a stony mask only intensified the look of his eyes.

A soft hand stroked my cheek, it felt like silk gliding across my warn flesh. I looked over to see Lilith as the owner of the hand.

"The game is over Clawtaine. This is Check Mate." Lilith's voice was a silken as her hand.

I fought the urge to reach over and strangle her out of fear of what the leader of the Guard might do so close to me. From here if I twitched he would turn me to mulch before I could breathe on Lilith. No point in killing myself if she doesn't die too.

"General Damon would like to thank you for giving him those new scars and that lovely new arm." She continued. As she said this, Damon latched the Mini gun onto his new arm in place of a hand. Then the large man began to change. Bones broke and realigned, muscles grew, tendons stretched. Now where a scary man once stood was now a far more fearsome beast. A creature I had last met in the basement of BIO corp. The last I had seen of it, he was huddled in a corner missing an arm, waiting for death to come.

A single crack rang out across the open street, fallowed by Lilith being thrown to the ground next to me. A voice came over the intercom of my ear bud that I knew and loved.

"Take that bitch." came Krylica's voice. It looked like Krylica found her ear piece, I thought with a smirk. Everything was silent, not even the wind dared to whisper. But before the shock of the moment washed way from the mass of Guards a sound tore through the silence like meat cleaver through a pig's crocus. The sound of an engine roared and rumbled. The thick and rough sound bouncing off the broken and collapsing walls, making the sound seem to be coming through every wall, like a phantom screaming its craving for havoc. Every one looked around hoping to catch sight of the real source of the sound. But before any could the engine its self drew first blood. A car tor through the mass of Guards, mowing down any in its path, screams emanated from those caught beneath its screeching wheels along with the sound of crushing bones. Blood flew into the air in large rivulets, and splattered both the car and those standing to close. It pulled through the crowed finally striking Damon, who disappeared beneath the large vehicle. Right where Damon had once stood now parked the car. Finally getting a good look at it, I found it to be the exact same as the one Zerath, Krylica and I had used to cut through the city on our way here. The door kicked open and Zerath hopped out shotgun in hand.

"Hope I didn't miss all the fun, but look what I found on my way here." Zerath said, pumping the shotgun and gesturing to the car behind him while is strolled over to me.

"Nope you came just in time, and you saved my bacon before it got cooked." I said with a wild grin as I redrew my swords from the earths embrace.

"I noticed, now please tell me I killed the bastard of a General cus I've got a score to settle with the prick." Zerath said as he knelt to one knee to check beneath the car. In response the car was raised from the ground, held up by a very disgruntled Damon. The car was propped up on Damon's one flesh hand and is cybernetic shoulder.

"Oh and of course he has a Mini Gun!" Exclaimed Zerath, his voice thick with sarcasm, his body motions matching his voice in sarcasm and exasperation.

Damon launched the car through the air towards us. Both Zerath and I ducked but three Guards standing to close to the fight weren't so lucky. The car crashed to the ground with a thunderous clap, the sound of crushing bones and armor came from behind us be neither Zerath nor I dared take out eyes of the abomination before us. The mass of Guards didn't retreat but rather moved back to what they thought to be a safe distance to act as spectators. They watched in eager anticipation of the outcome of this two versus two battle.

I heard the sound of shifting gravel just behind me and to my right. I turned to just in time to see that Lilith was up and swinging… her sword. I brought my own blade up in a block, the strike resounding up my arm and down my blade. I aimed a slice for her Lilith's mid section. She jumped back dodging the strike. I pushed on with a stab from my other blade. She swept it aside and launched a bolt of white at me. It grazed across my face. I fell backward covering my face with my forearms as I struck the earth. I felt my left cheek running like clay, but it was already starting to reform. I had never taken such a beating before as this one. I wasn't sure how much more I could heal. Just knitting my flesh together was a drain on my energy.

I looked up to find Lilith standing over me, Soul Eaters blade aimed at my chest in a downward strike. I rolled to my left just as the blade came down for the killing blow. It barely missed my shoulder, but my jacket wasn't as safe as the rest of my body. I lashed out with my foot, kicking her in the side. She stumbled to the side, keeping the grip on her blade. I kip upped, landing on my feet. I brought my swords together in a scissor action so as I could try to drop Lilith's head. She regained her footing and turned to face me. She jammed her Vorpral in the crock between my two blades, locking all three together. With a flick of her wrist Lilith threw both of my swords from my hand and to the ground not but five feet away. She then spun around and struck me in the chest with a side kick. Her horizontal foot struck hard and sent flying backwards. I struck the wall of ruined building, the air fleeing my lungs. I fell to the ground landing on my chest, the hard rubble pressing against my face. I could hear Lilith moving closer. The rubble moving, shifting, crunching under her feet. I looked up coughing and wheezing, my vision blurry, to see Lilith, maybe a dozen passes away. Past Lilith I saw Zerath roll under a swipe from Damon. He then sprung to his feet, shotgun still in hand. Zerath took slow steps back towards Damon, with each step he fired the shotgun, knocking Damon back a step from the force of the slugs. Each shot Zerath moved him back step by step. With each shot Zerath spoke a word.

"Why, Wont, You, Just, Fucking, DIE!" Zerath shouted one ward with each shot to give the point a little more push across.

Lilith was now three feet away and closing. I looked down , grabbed a large piece of concrete in each hand. Once more I leek out Eldritch magic into the stones that I held. I couldn't keep this up much longer. I was becoming more and more existed and I had to end this fast.

The stones melted in my hands seeping between my fingers, shaping and molding around my hands and hardening. I pushed off the ground leaping into the air, a strike aimed for Lilith's jaw. She side stepped my blow.

"Neat trick." She said as she spun, catching me with one of her wings. I rolled to the side. She side stepped pressing her back against the very same wall I had hit. I lunged at her gain. The wall behind her turned to wet clay and pulled her into its depths. By the time I reached her she was no longer there. My armored fist struck bare wall, leaving a hole in it. Lilith emerged from the wall five feet above where she had disappeared prier.

With her feet at the same level as my face, she took this placement to her advantage. Her foot propelled forward, colliding with my forehead. I fell backwards into a crouching position. I could feel the blood beginning to trickle down the side of my face. It ran hot and thick. For a fleeting moment I felt everything from the ach of my muscles to the multitude of burses I had collected, and finally the small fragments of glass still protruding from the back of my neck. I forced the thoughts and pains aside. If I dwelled on them Lilith would take the chance and remove my head from my shoulders. I glint caught my eye and I looked over to see my blades. I pushed off from the ground and sprinted towards my blades. If I could get a hold of them I had a chance. They lie there amongst the dirt and rubble gleaming in the setting sun light.

The sun was nearing the horizon. Night drew ever closer with its immanent descent. This battle had raged on for close to two days, and for a large span of that time smoke had blotted out the sun. Although I had been confined for the first day of combat, I still loved the sight of the sun and both feared and relished the oncoming night.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Dark Whispers & feral minds

I ran hard, feet pounding the ground bellow, breath rasping between my lips and ripping into and out of my lungs. I had never pushed my body so far and for it ached all over, I have never felt so swore, or so tired. Part of my just wanted to lay down and die here and now, and be done with it, but no, I would not. A bolt of white shot past my ear, this was just what I didn't needed, more incentive to run. But none the less I pushed my self harder as a second bolt zipped passed my right arm, but I didn't care, I was almost there, I focused on the blades. I made myself believe that once I got to my swords I would be safe. They lay almost dramatically posed on a large slab of rubble. I reached out on arm in eager anticipation despite the ten foot gap between me and the weapons. It was then a searing pain struck me between the shoulders. I shouted out in pain, and lost my footing. I fell head over heel over head, in a rolling cycle. I stopped with a hard hit landing upon the earth.

I was in sixth grade on the last day of school, a group of large kids will sick smiles stood over me as they took a short break from kicking me. I could hear the laughter echoing in my ears.

Then I was in seventh grade running down a long hall trying to escape a band of eighth graders who had me marked for death.

Then I was in Eighth grade listening to a teacher scream at me for hurting his some who had tried to steal my bag.

Suddenly it was Freshman ear, facing down John again, with his bad of moronic grunts. Then It was my sophomore year and a group of seniors where chasing me with a car down a road bumping me with the front of the car when they thought I wasn't running fast enough. Then came junior year, the boss of my first job screaming at me because I miss field some papers, his face crimson from ear to ear.

Dozens of not hundreds more memories like these rose up from the depths of my mind, all of the laughter and screams of hate collecting with each memory until it was a deafening, maddening roar. A feeling of absolute hate seemed to wash over me like a wave of boiling water and yet encompass me like a giant snake. I raised one hand up to the back of my neck and pulled out the glass piece by piece, shard by shard. I felt no pain at the action although I did feel the spears of glass slide out like a knife out of a pumpkin. I then pulled my self to my feet. The sun blazed in the setting beauty that was once the Rocky Mountains. Smoke had clouded the day but now, now true darkness crawled across the earth and engulfed everything. With the darkness all pain was forgotten. This hate was not my own but also it was. It was hate towards all those moments of pain, hate towards all of those people who had done me wrong. No more would I be submissive. A string of names filled my mind, Aaron, Chris, Jake, Seth, Mark, Darien, and many more. All of this, the names of the people who had hurt me for fun or out of frustration. I knelt down and grasped the blades I had so desperately sought and slowly stood. The laughter and screams in my mind faded leaving only a whispering rasp. "Take this as a gift boy, and use it against your sister. Let us see which is the stronger." The voice spoke in a light rasp before it too faded away.

I looked down at my swords; I didn't need these, just as I didn't need love, remorse, sorrow, or conscience. I sheathed my weapons, my eyes fading from silver to feral, wild yellow. The whispering voice had unlocked me beast within but not yet set it free, yet this was all I needed. All I needed was hate, rage, gore and claws. As I had done so many times before I shifted my shaped. My clothes melted away to smoke. Bones cracked and realigned, Muscle flexed and changed, tendons stretched. Fur yet again coursed over my body, and covered me as would a cloak or cowl. I now stood eight feet above the ground, a man no more but a beast pure and feral.

A loud bag caught my attention. I through my head towards the direction from which the sound had originated, to find a small man in advanced armor grasping a shot gun, pinned down behind a car by a massive creature, with a metal arm. Bullets flowed froth from the metal harm in a raining torrent of hell.

I had killed this _Thing_ once, I would do it again. I Lunged at it claws out stretched, the thought of sweet flesh and warm blood came coursing through my mind. I slammed into the abomination of flesh and metal, claws tarring into soft meat, fangs sinking deep and drawing rich juices. The prey let out a thunderous bellow of pain that shook my bones. With its one arm of flesh it through me off, flinging me into a stone wall. I slumped to the rough ground, in momentary shock. I shook the impact off and stood. I felt no pain, no strain, no weakness, nor fatigue, only rage.

How dare the Prey strike me?

The Vile prey swung around to face me full on, the barrels of the metal arm spinning to life with a hum that pitched higher and higher as the speed picked up. Bullets flew, shell casings fell but I moved, running parallel with the wall to my right. Dust and rubble filled the air in a wave behind me. I changed the angel of my course slightly, running across the wall, the claw of my feet tarring up clods of stone. I kicked off, cart wheeling through the air, I opened my wings and shot up higher and higher. Everything shrank bellow me to a small child's play set. I side turned bending my speed and momentum as I realigned onto a course with mother earth. I closed my wings, held my arms close to my sides, and pressed my legs together. Everything was like looking through a magnified glass. Everything in my peripheral vision was blur but the Pray which lay directly ahead of me was clear, every detail seeming to be enhanced. I could still hear gunfire and as if in infuses the point a sharp pain ripped across my ribs tarring a shallow trench across the flesh of my side. It was nothing more than a glancing blow but blood was drawn all the same. I side rolled and flipped forward just before I hit the Prey. I struck him in the face with both of my feet plowing him into the ground. Before he impacted I pushed off again and throwing me blindingly back into the air. I hit the ground , tumbling, rolling, and more than a little in pain. The hit managed to knock me back into my normal self. I skidded to a stop at Zeraths feet who had fallen back to reload. In my more human shape I looked like crap, and felt worse but I was no longer a mindless blood thirsty monster. The sudden change had left me shaken but I wasn't going to show it now in front of Zerath. He stretched out his hand in offering. I took it and let him help me to my feet. As I stood a shriek of pain shot up my left wing. I glanced back to see that my wing was sticking up and out at an unnatural angle, more like sitting upside down entirely. Seeing this, my stomach did a back flip and some color drain from my face. I turned back to Zerath taking deep breaths, letting my face turn back to its normal shade.

"Want for me to fix that chicken wing?" Zerath offered. I nodded saying "Yes, if you would so it can heal right side up."

There was a blur of motion behind Zerath. I shove Zerath to the side with a hard thrust. Where Zeraths head had once been a sword ran through the air in a thrust of its own. I knocked it aside with a circular kick before it lanced me. A neatly manicured hand fallowed the blades first path , hitting me in the sternum. I fell back, the air leaving my lungs. Zerath stepped in front of me shot gun raised and pumped. Before I could protest the trigger was pulled and a shot rang out, sounding shockingly loud so close to me. Faster than thought possible Lilith raised her sword up to block her face. The metal shock struck the flat of the blade and collided against her armor only to harmlessly bounce off. Zerath fired again, and again and again. None stop as if he were facing down a soon to be beaten adversary. I crawled to my feet, my wing strongly protesting any movement. Wheezing and hacking as I rose to my feet I spoke.

"It's pointless. I hope you know that." My voice was harsh and rough.

Zerath never responded only help up his tireless push against Lilith with his shotgun. After close to eight shots a single metal pellet tore through the strap of leather along the side of Lilith's torso causing it to hang off of her at an off acquired angle.

"Ha! I knew it had to have a weak point somewhere." Zerath spoke with a note of pleasure in his voice.

Lilith stumbled back in surprise. As she lowered her sword I saw her panicked face. I gave her a nasty grin of pure pleasure and satisfaction at the sudden turn of events. Zerath took this moment of surprise as an attack of opportunity. He threw up his shotgun and caught it by the pump, muzzle down holding it like a baseball bat. He lunged forward swinging it at Lilith's head. The butt of the gun collided with her temple. She was thrown five feet into a crumpled heap on the ground her eyes rolled to only whites. He did it, Zerath killed Lilith. I couldn't believe my eyes. She was down for the count and bleeding profusely from her left ear, on the same side on which the final blow struck.

Zerath turned back to me, my face splitting into a wide grin. It was over, we had won. Zerath threw back his head and let out a groan of frustration. For a moment I expected him to say something like "Aw man, I left the car running!" But it never came. Instead he pushed me aside running at top gear. Using my eyes I traced his path. He was going straight for the heap of mutant that was Damon. I saw movement and knew Zerath had to have seen it as well. But what I'm certain he had missed was the growing movement in the shadows. If he had seen it he would have rethought his rash idea of sprinting into the fray.

Damon pulled himself to his feet looking rather displeased and more than a little infuriated. I saw Zerath aim his gun as the hulking behemoth, but when he squeezed the trigger nothing happened. He reached for his ammo bandoleer only to find it empty. But Zerath never slowed even as he removed the useless bandoleer and threw it at Damon. As it left Zeraths hand it seemed to move in slow motion, flipping end over end only to bounce harmlessly off Damon's snout. Quite the contrary to damaging Damon, the bandoleer only succeeded in enraging him. Damon Threw forth an earth shaking roar, spit being thrown forth from his mow by the force of the war cry.

What Zerath did next only amplified my thoughts of his stupidity and insanity. He removed his gear belt and held it in one hand as he lunged and tackled the overly muscled creature, who stood at four times his own size. A beast I might add wielding razor edged claws capable of disemboweling a man, fangs capable of snapping bones, and a mini gun capable of cutting a man in half. Zerath struck Damon on the chest, his arms wrapped around the creatures neck, and held on for dear life. But it wasn't enough. Damon launched Zerath off of him with ease. But as Zerath bounced and rolled across the ground to land only three feet from me, I was it. Wrapped around Damon's neck was an over sized collar. An over sized collar made of a belt holding what looked like close to dozen grenades. Zerath sat up with a groan of pain. He coughed a little before he raised his right hand to flip off Damon with the one fingered solute. With his middle finger raised to the sky in direct defiance I saw a single grenade pin worn on that middle finger like a ring.

"See you in hell Bastard." Zerath wheezed in a ragged voice.

Damon Raised his head and let one last howl for morning rage. But the howl was cut short and replaced with an ear splitting crack as the grenades went off. Chunks of Damon fell to earth in giblets across the surrounding area like a gruesome and disturbing spring rain. I walked over to Zerath and held out my hand to him in offering. He looked at me for a brief while and grasped the hand. I hefted him to his feet but we had little time to celebrate our victory. The activity in the shadows reached its climax. Crawling forth from the depths of blackness like a swarm of roaches came the Mutant Wolves yet again. They came from the fresh night shadows on all sides, encircling us. Their numbers never seemed to end. They each moved slowly and with purpose. I reached for my 9mm pistols only to find them gone giving me reason to cursed under my breath yet again. Zerath unsheathed a kukri and settled into a low stance close to the ground. The sound of shifting gravel caught my ear, and brought me to look over my shoulder. What I saw was like a nightmare come to life. Lilith was not only still living but flying up to where Krylica was.

I pressed my finger on to the bud in my ear, activating it.

"Krylica, Lilith is coming your way. Can you Ground her?" I asked into the ear bud. The response came a moment later, distorted slightly by static.

"I can't, my rifles jammed." Her voice sounded stressed as though she was trying to un-jam the gun while speaking.

Those words chilled the blood in my veins.

"Then get off the roof, hide, run, anything but stay there." My voice showed all of the stress that weighed down on me like led.

"Kind of hard captain Obvious to do that when there is no exit from the roof unless you want me staining the pavement bellow." Krylica's reply was filled with stinging sarcasm. I would have to end this myself. I glared up at Lilith, noticing that she no longer ware her armored breast plate, either because Zerath broke it or it was too heavy for her to fly with. I turned back to stair down the oncoming mass of Wolves which was now almost on top of Zerath and I. I looked back to Lilith then again at the on rush. I was Torn, I couldn't leave Krylica to Lilith's own ends, nor could I leave Zerath to be later masked as mutant dog shit.

"Go" came Zeraths voice from behind my left. It was low, steady and unwavering. I turned to look at him, my face painted with surprise and uncertainty.

"I've got things here, I can handle a few mutts. Besides you got to save that whinny princess up there." Zerath said as he pressed the trigger on the side for his helmet, opening his face plate. The gold, red reflective surface split in half down the middle to reveal his scarred face holding a smile both kind, and filled with reckless intent. This was the second time I had ever seen this mans face, and yet I trusted him more then anyone with my life. Under the smile was sorrow, not for his own fate but for the pain he was in my eyes. In the dead of night the only light to make his face by was that thrown by scattered fires but it was more then enough. I unsheathed one of my swords and handed it to him, as he grasped it and I let go I could see the weight change from my hand to his. To Zerath it was heavy, enough so he dropped to kukri and grasped the sword with both hands.

"Im not letting you become dog chaw, cus if you end up becoming kibble, so help me I will come down to hell after you to kick you ass." I said with a smile, my voice a little shaky. Zerath hefted my sword over his shoulders and with he free hand closed his face plate. He only nodded at me before charging into battle, but nothing more was needed.

A shot range out from atop the BIO Corp building and I new something was happening. I threw myself into the sky beating my wings hard, thoughts racing through my mind. I looked back to see an ocean of pink and grey skin closing in on a single speck of a warrior.

I landed on the roof once more, my wings out stretched, head bowed, hands grasping the hilt of my only remaining blade which was now half a blade deep into the concrete of which I kneeled. The dust cleared and I rose, pulling my sword up with ease. The roof top looked the same as before, but this time Krylica stood at the far end, sniper rifle in hand, with Lilith marching toward her Vorpral blade in one hand.

"Lilith!" I shouted.

She stopped mid stride and turned so snarl at me. I raised my single blade to point at her in challenge.

"Your time has come." I spoke with no emotion though I was overflowing with feelings. I charged her both hands grasping my blade, holding over my head. The wind felt good on my grime streaked face but I never lost my focus. Lilith raised a hand and set a bolt of white lightning. I raised my blade, deflecting it to the ground, the earth struck scotched black. I threw myself into a full sprint but only for a few more yards. I then reversed my grip on my sword and forced it into the ground, I pole vaulted off of it and launched myself into the air flying feet first toward Lilith. Both of my feet hit soundly, landing in the center of her chest. She fell back, stunned by my strange yet effective blow. I flipped back after striking her landing on one knee, hands low to the ground, fingers just barely splayed yet touching the cold, rough earth. Lilith regained her footing gasping for breath. I kicked off sprinting at her, head low, keeping close to the ground as I closed in on her, I would put my horns to use, and gore her right off her own building. I closed in on Lilith second for second, she was oblivious to what was about to happen. At the last second she side stepped, avoiding me entirely. She then lashed out with two whips of white eldritch power, both writhing like enraged serpents. One coiled around the based of my wings, where they grow from my back, Constricting and crushing the bones with a sickening crunch. The other ethereal tactical entangled my legs, sending me to the ground. I met with a face full of hard stony ground. After I hit the ground I slid to the edge of the roof, and over. As I lost the ground beneath me I threw my arms out desperately clinging to the edge of the roof with ghost white knuckles. I glanced back at my wings which radiated with pain. They were a mangled heap, lying limp at odd angles. Lilith strolled forward to my hanging, scrabbling shape. She stabbed her blade into the ground, stepped up to the edge where I hung on for dear life.

"Well look who's off the edge. Looks like you just couldn't take it." She said was she knelt down to face me. She was so close I could feel the heat of her breath, as she examined me like one would a dead bug. She stood and passed back and forth before me.

"Do you know how I became head of this company? My dear old daddy was the founder and owner. You see, he wanted at daughter, a cute little girl to call his own. He found me and thought I was just too cute. He brought me up as I business woman, trained me in all the odds and ends of running this company. And when I... matured and sprouted wings and horns he didn't throw me way, but I was no longer daddy's little girl. Then I learned about my powers around the same time you did, but my father didn't like that so he covered up your mistake so no one would learn of my existence. Finally I got fed up and just poisoned the bastard and took his place." She explained in a menial tone as if she were only talking about the weather. As she spoke I began to swing my legs from side to side, trying to gain momentum so I could climb back up.

Lilith stopped her pacing and stood in front of me. She then placed a heeled shoe on a single digit of my left hand.

"And as the years passed, I played with my own DNA, twisting it and turning it."

She raised her foot and dropped it, plunging it into the back of my hand. I screamed at the fiery pain but didn't let go. Blood oozed out around the shoe heel, thick and warm.

"I am more then you could possibly know." She hissed the words down at me, her eyes gleaming with vile satisfaction. She pulled her foot up slowly, drawing another scream from my throat but this one less dramatic then the last. My bleeding hand was ripped away from the ledge by the momentum of my swinging legs.

"And you will never know anything again."

With that she lifted her foot again ready to finish me. My wings hadn't healed meaning I was out of juice, like a dead battery, and after this fall new infuses on dead. I bared a look down, trying desperately to find away out of this. There was none.

I heard a soft thump, fallowed by a strangled cry. I looked up to find Krylica piggy backing on Lilith, knees stabbing into her back, over sized sniper held across Lilith's throat, chocking her.

"Why didn't you just shoot her?" I asked as I flung my wounded hand back to the ledge.

"No—Time—To—Reload" was Krylica's only response before Lilith fell backwards. As Lilith threw herself back Krylica lost hold of her rifle. I hauled myself up to safety wincing in pain. I crawled back to my feet, and looked at Lilith and Krylica to find an almost normal cat fight. They rolled back and forth across the ground, punching, kicking, clawing and pulling each others hair. I was thinking about intervening when suddenly Lilith was launched into the air. She must have hit a good twenty feet of height before she came back down. She struck the ground close to six feet from where I stood. Lilith lay face down, unmoving, on the floor, hair splayed out so I couldn't see her face. I looked back to see Krylica laying flat on her back, arms stretched out to either side, and her legs sticking straight to the sky. The pose reminded me of yoga apart from the heavy breathing and the combat boot that sent Lilith skyward. I stepped up to Krylica and offered her my hand. She grasped the hand firmly, and I pulled her to her feet. When she was up she padded me on the cheek and said "That how you remove the bad guy from the game."

She walked past me and I stared into the distance with a confused expression on my face. I shook my head clearing my thoughts and turned to follow her. I stopped as I noticed the glint of my blade in the dark of night. I quickly retrieved it, without pause. Its weight felt good in my hand. Like the presence of an old friend. This time I would have Lilith's head on a pike to ensure she was dead.

I turned back to face Lilith to find her climbing to her feet slowly, head bowed, hair covering her face. She still looked disoriented from her fall, and I took the opening. I lunged forward, rushing at her before she knew what was happening. Krylica was thirteen feet from Lilith back but I was closer. Krylica knelt down and unsheathed a long combat knife from her boot.

I reached Lilith too late. I brought down my sword in a decapitating strike, trying to end her while she was on the floor. She sat up dodging my attack. My sword struck the headless ground with a soulless clang. I brought my blade back up turning it in the air trying for another strike to her head. Lilith only rolled back avoiding my strike entirely. She stood slowly, turning sideways and wagged a finger at me in taunt. I charged her, thrust out my sword, and she merely hopped backwards, avoiding me yet again. I lunged at her trying again for a stab. Lilith side stepped, and turned sideways. I miss once again, my wrist even with her side. She brought her elbow down on my wrist, the blow struck home but I held fast on my blade, not letting it slip from my fingers. The struck wrist began to bruise, and throb. I switched my blade to my only remaining hand. I winced at the pain and bared my teeth. For a brief moment the animal inside lashed out at me and my eyes flashed from silver to a yellow in feral resonance. Before I could attack Lilith in response a war cry ripped through the air. I looked past Lilith to see Krylica flying at Lilith's back, combat knife held above her head in both hands. Krylica was a good eight feet above the ground and flying at Lilith, her face frozen in a grotesque war mask.

Without looking Lilith side stepped just before Krylica struck her. Instead of Krylica striking Lilith with a knife in the back, Krylica slammed into me knocking the wind from my lungs and throwing me to the ground. Both she and I were stunned for a moment, her from the impact with my rib cage, me gasping like a dry landed fish. I gasped, air flooding my flattened lungs once again. Krylica pushed herself up on her hands, still laying over me, her hair flowing over and around her face. She, looking for once like a normal girl despite the blood and muck that dirtied her face. She looked so nice, and attractive, until that smile crossed her face. That evil smile crossed with that sinister gleam in her eye, I know something was going to go wrong. She latched both of her hands onto my shirt. She stood hefting me and throwing me at Lilith like a shot put. I struck Lilith with my face in the mid section . The both of us skidded and rolling across the roof. Now when I looked up I found myself over a rather angry looking Lilith. She planter her feet on my chest and launched me in a way not to different from the way Krylica had launched her. I flew high into the air and impacted hard into the ground. Nothing broken but my pride and my sense or comedy.

Rage coursed through my veins, hate clouded my mind, I lifted my cut face from the ground my eyes a burning yellow. My face frozen in a mask of undiluted blood rage. I found that I was next to the edge. A glimpse over shown me the seething mass of mutant wolves climbing the sides of the building like hoard of berserking fire ants. The image of Zerath standing alone against the on rush of death entered my mind and fueled my rage further. I stood, reached behind me and snapped my wings back into place, squeezing that last drops of power into mending them. The rage brought more power to my finger tips. And I would use every last bit of it to finish this fight. My clothes evaporated into black smoke. My bones snapped, realigned, and reformed. Fur grew like a spreading infection across my body. My shape changed completely. The only thing that remained the same was the yellow, maddening eyes. I stood in this new shaped, no more Gane, nor Clawtaine, only The Beast remained. I was a manifestation of rage, and hunger. An eight foot tall wolf like monster with horns, wings, and a tail. I was destruction incarnate. I no longer though, but acted, I was pure emotion and instinct.

I threw myself forward at Lilith, lashing out with a clawed hand, she dodged it with a bob of the head. I lashed out again and again, strike after strike, buy she only ducked, side stepped, and weaved away from me, I let out a roaring call of frustration before I set my claws alight with black and silver flame. I lashed out once more, but this time as she dodged it, my claw grazed her shoulder. The pain should have been unbearable, but she only looked down at the cut with an expression of annoyance. Her hands were suddenly lit with a white glow. She struck out with unprecedented speed to strike me in the chest with both open palms. The smell of burning hair and cooking meat filled the air, and I screeched in pain. I tried to bat her away but she only removed her hand, ducked under the sweeping claw and kicked my legs out fro under me. I fell on my back, hitting the ground hard. I rolled to the right just as a heel shoe hit the ground where my head had once been. I rolled back, and up to my feet. I threw myself at her again, ready and prepared to disembowel her at the first chance I got. I came at her, with full force. My prey held a stunned expression on her face. She was frozen to the spot in surprise. I would feast this day upon her flesh, and grudge myself on her entrails. There was a blur of movement but I was quicker. My claws sank into her flesh, her warm blood painted my fur my finger tips kissed her soft organs.

There was a warm breath on my cheek; I glanced over to find Lilith beside me grinning at me.

"Thank you for ending that pest." She whispered into my twitching ear.

With that she turned and walked toward her still user less sword. I looked back to where my claw lay. I found a pair of beautiful green eyes starring at me in shock and horror.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: The Price of Judgment

Krylica was on the other end of my arm. She looked rather feral, claws growing from her fingers, and a thin layer of fur covering her. She fell forward, knife falling from her clawed hand. I caught her in my arms, recognition seeping into my mind.

What have I done?

No.

What have I become? I am a monster, I am no better then Lilith. I held the only person that cared for me, as she lay dying in my arms, for my own hands. She raised her hand to my face and brushed my cheek.

"You are such a dumb ass." She whispered, pausing to cough.

"Just finish the fight and kill the bitch."

My eyes filled with tears, as I looked into there eyes and watched the light slowly begin to fade.

"No, you can't just die. I'm sorry. It's my fault, I'm sorry." I said in a choked voice.

She coughed again, blood running down this side of her mouth and from her nose, but she smiled up at me none the less.

"You know, you're pretty cute when you're crying."

This was the last thing to leave her lips before they were still. Her hand fell away limp and up moving.

"no." I whispered.

"No" I said my voice rising.

"NO!" I shouted at the top of my lungs into her soft, unmoving face.

I gently lowered her body to the ground, as though she were only sleeping. I placed my hands on her chest, my hands beginning to thrum with power. After a moment my hands began to glow pure silver. I let my aura seep from me, bleeding into Krylica, stitching her wounds, sealing them, healing her from within, mending organs, and muscle.

"No, you will not die, not while I'm still breathing. I won't let you have the luxury of death."I said as I let my own life force flow into her.

"I'm going to make you stay here, in this crappie world, with these crappie people, in this crappie life."

The glow of my hands subsided as I could no longer sustain giving Krylica my own life.

"How sweet, but come now, do you really thing that will work? You killed her with your own bare hands, or should I say claws." Lilith's voice came from behind me with a flouting not entertainment that held in the air. I withdrew my hands from Krylica, but she still lay there unmoving, nor did she breathe as though she might be sleeping. I had lost her.

"Told you so, you ignorant mule." Lilith spoke as if she knew this was going to happen. But as soon as she said that I snapped. My thoughts clicked pieces together that didn't even make sense to me, but they did none the less.

Ignorant mule, Ignorant means stupid or dumb, mule in relation to ass. Lilith called me a dumb ass but those were the last words of Krylica and I would not have Lilith using them against me.

First Zerath, now Krylica. I have lost both of my closest friends in the same day.

My tear silently on Krylica's face, shimmering in the faint glow of my aura as it died away.

"You have hurt millions, killed millions, never looked back, only looking for ways to advance your greed and lust for power." I spoke in a low voice, void of any emotion.

"Do you have a point to this? Cus if you're trying to hurt my feelings I'm sorry to say I don't care you little freak." Lilith said in a mocking tone.

I stood slowly, meaningfully, with intent written in my action and posture.

"No. I have no right to live, none but one. To kill you. I intent to bring justice to all those lives you took. I was once scared of you but now I fear you not for I am fear incarnate." At this my aura flared up stronger then before, throwing off a dazzling light of black and silver dance.

"I am the wrath of those who died fighting against you made flesh. And you will die by my hand and mine alone." I spoke, my voice growing in intensity until my aura burst into flames. I turned to face here, my eyes glowing silvery hot seeming to ripple and shift like pools of liquid. The whites of my eyes were as black as shadow and my pupils were spirit white.

I was burning my life force to gain power; doing so would kill me without question. My body was but to its human state but my hands still bore claws. I lashed out with a clawed hand dragging it across Lilith's cheek. She wrenched her head away in pain; I stepped in bringing my knee up hard into her midsection. She crumpled over like a tower of toy blocks. I brought my elbow up colliding with her lower jaw. Her head flew back, I grabbed her hair, wrenched it back down while I threw my knee upward. I struck her in the right cheek bone, shattering it. I then grabbed her hair with both hands and spun around and around, lifting her off the ground. I released and she flew, hit, bounced, hit, bounced again, her then hit and skidded off the edge.

"This ends now." I said, my voice gruff, low, and filled with over powering rage. I knew that Lilith wasn't dead, because I could see her fingers holding onto the edge. Next to her fingers, not but two feet from her was that vile Soul eaters blade. A thought of poetic justice crossed my mind. She was hanging off the edge just as I had been, we had merely switched places. And now I would be the one holding her blade, killing her with her own evil weapon. I reached out for the weapon but a bolt of red lightning arced from the demonic weapons hilt and struck me in the hand. I recoiled in pain clutching my stinging fingers. I stepped up to the edge, looking down upon the panic faced Lilith.

"They have a nice spot held for you in hell." I spoke coolly, with no emotion. I raised my booted foot, images of Krylica and Zerath flashing into my mind.

Lilith gave me a nasty smirk.

"Well I guess they will have to hold it a little longer."

She let go of the wall and kicked off. Her white leathery demon wings opened, holding her aloft as she sped away.

"I have some friends to keep you company. Try and have some fun with them." She shouted back.

As if by queue a wave of hairless, mindless monsters, rose up over the edge of the roof and spilled down over me. I was swept off my feet in a torrent of fangs, claws, and hairless skin. I rolled back away from the on rush. Rolling to my feet I found that Zerath hand not killed as many raving mutant werewolves as he had promised. Cold hate flowed down my spine. They had to pay for their crimes as much as Lilith did. They had killed him, they killed one of my only friends. They had to pay. I flexed my fingers, the only movement in the stillness was the beasts watched me, all of them, waiting for the right moment to strike. Suddenly one lunged at me from my right, claws out reached, mouth open, it sailed through the air at me. I ducked, under the flying wolf, as it passed over head. I stood up, grabbed it by its legs ad swung it back into the crowd. With this the stillness broke, the wolves once seeming as statues, burst into raging anarchy. I ducked, rolled, dodged, and blocked trying to get out of the center of the swamp of rabid minds. I formed spiked gauntlets around my hands out of pure energy distilled from my life force. A claw swiped at my face, missing my left ear by no more then a hair.

I ducked under another swiping claw, grabbed said claw and broke the arm belonging to the claw. I then planted my foot under its sternum and pushed, launching it back into the mass, toppling many of its allies in the process. I set out an upper cut that crush one wolf's entire lower jaw. I slid between another wolf's legs, grabbing its feet as I went, causing it to fall forward onto its face. I kip upped, landing on mu feet, a fiery pain shot down my back in five straight lines. I yelled in pain as I fell forward onto my knees. Another swipe, I ducked rolling backwards. I jumped to my feet and turned to find a wolf with blood socked claws. I lunged forward wrapping my energy armored fingers around its snout, I struck it in the chest with my knee, and again with my free hand. I then wrenched it off its feet, using it s snout as the fulcrum point as I twisted it hard, snapping its neck as it went. Suddenly a huge weight struck my back, sending me to the floor. It was then I felt a knot form inside me. It wasn't a cramp, it felt like a knot in my soul and it screamed in pain. Teeth sank into the flesh of my shoulder, drawing a scream of agony from my lips. I tried to get up bit the attempt was in vain. The knot in my soul grew and my gauntlets faded from existence. The pain escalated as the beast on my back tore the flesh from my shoulder. I screamed again as crimson blood weld up in the freshly opened wound and flowed out onto the concrete like a thick river of red. The knot inside of me seemed to twitch, and an ark of black lightning jumped from me and struck the wolf, sending it flying off me. I stumbled to my feet clutching my wounded shoulder with my good hand. As I slowly rose I was almost sent to my knees when a pain struck the inside of my chest like a burning flame. The pain in my chest seemed to grow in intensity as the knot within me tightened.

Another wolf lashed out with its clawed hands, and another bolt of black shadow leapt forth from my aura, striking the wolf and turning it to dust. Again and again wolves tried to reach me, but with each wolf a bolt of lightning black as death reached out and touched each, turning each in turn to a dark grey cloud of dust to be stolen away by the wind. But with each wolf the knot quivered and tightened, and with each quiver of the knot the pain in my chest leapt to another degree of pain. I wanted to fall to my knees but I held my footing, forcing myself to move forward step by step. Finally the pain was to great and I could take it no longer. But was I reached my limit so did the knot within me. The so called knot snapped continuing the flow of energy through out my body in a sudden burst.

As the knot broke a sphere of black and silver expanded from me. It encompassed me and continued to grow. Any of the wolves touched by the dome fell to the ground writhing in pain. It looked as though their very skin was sagging and beginning to melt like silly putty left in the oven. The sphere expanded to encompass the entire roof then without warning retracted. It pulled back with shocking speed only to stop suddenly around me in a perfect bubble of transparent black energy, more like glass then anything else. Everything was still for several long moments. Even the Wolves didn't seem to move but in the slightest of breathing. But the stillness was shattered as the Wolves began to rise, scared and mangled but not finished. As the Wolves began to rise like an army of the dead the bubble encasing me fill with black smoke that settled at the bottom and began to rise ever closer. I looked at the smoke in confusion which quickly changed to panic when I found I could not move. I thrashed back and forth tugging and pulling at my legs but they would not give an inch. The smoke rose up to my waste at this point and the Wolves yet again circled me. I felt a stinging pain in my leg as if some one hand stabbed me with a needle. I looked down into the smoke but nothing could be seen beyond the spiraling tendrils of blackness. Another stinging pain struck me in the foot, and gain in the thigh. Then I saw what was causing this pain. A bolt of black lightning struck my hand from within the thick tar like depths bellow me. The smoke soon reached my shoulders and began up my neck. The last thing that I saw was the face of a Wolf and I will never forget that face. It looked in upon me with black hate filled eyes, half of its face was melted and its entire left cheek was gone aside from a single strand of still liquid flesh. Then came the blackness, the darkness, the utter aloneness. I couldn't breath, couldn't move, could only panic and think of what was to come. My eyes were frozen open and I could feel the thick sluggish smoke roll over them. It was like this for what seemed like years in the dark and stillness when I heard her voice. It was a woman's voice one that I had never heard before, it was kind and soothing as it spoke not in my ear to within with walls of my mind.

"Fear not my son for this is not to be you time of passing"

I was calmed by the words almost as if by magic. I waited for more to be said but nothing came, and I was alone in the dark, until everything changed. An explosion of pure kinetic force struck me from everywhere. The blackness was blown away, the smoke forming a wave of silver and dark grey anything touched by this wave was truck with lighting both black and silver rendering whatever the bolt struck into dust. In a flash I was alone on the buildings roof top. I stood up to my shines in dark grey sand that covered the entire roof in dunes of the dust. It looked like a desert touched by some unspeakable corruption. I looked upon it in shock until my legs gave in.

I fell, posting on one hand to keep myself up. A plum of dust was thrown up by my fall only to be ripped it out of the air above me and threw it.

I had burned through a lot of my essence and didn't have long to finish what I had started. I could feel myself falling into the blackness of sleep, drawn into the stillness by the led weights of my wounds, dragging me deeper into the final slumber. I looked up to the sound of wing beats and holding in the air was Lilith. My vision faded in and out of focus but I saw her, hanging in the air with her white leathery wings beating slowly, keeping her aloft. In one hand she held her Vorpral blade unscathed from the battle. Lilith fell to the ground, landing lightly on her feet, her wings folded behind her. She stood over Krylica's still form, looking like some great demon sent to destroy any semblance of law and good that still remained on the battle field. She stepped over Krylica's body without looking and continued towards me. I fell forwards, sending another plum of dust up into the air as Lilith reached me. She leaned on the hilt of me sword and looked down at me, a smug smile on her face.

"Well I must admit that was impressive. I never thought you would have lived through that assailment but, you did. Sadly you lived through an onslaught of mutant wolves only to but put down like a sick animal yourself, and by your better. You should have known from the beginning that this was a hopeless battle. A battle you could not win nor could I loose. I am your better in every way, intellect, power, deception, and ironically strength. This is evolution, survival of the best, and eradication of the weak. You really should have just stayed in that damned cave I left you in. You were out of the way, and I had everything all nice, neat, and in order. But what's done is done. I own everything I see, I am king Midas and I will not stop till the world is my own." She spoke mad fervor and it shown in her eyes as well as her words. I rolled over onto my back, looking up into her malevolent face.

She straightened, grabbed her in a reversed grip with both hands and raised it above her head. The blade pointed down, aimed at my heart, ready to plunge the blade into my flesh and end me.

"Any last words brother?" she asked

I smiled at her, a knowing look on my face.

"You talk too much." I said my smile turning to a smirk. Before Lilith could react I pulled my knees to my chest, and rolled backward onto my hand. I threw out my feet in a twin kick, the rubber souls of my boots, impacting her chest. I felt ribs crack, but even more satisfying was the sight of seeing her get launched across the roof, and again roll off for her to hold one by her finger. She held on with her one free hand while her other held to her damned blade. I pulled myself to my feet; the sight of Krylica enthralled me with a desire to fight on. I limped to the edge where Lilith now hung. I felt like a tired old man, but as I looked down at Lilith, my eyes filled with eyes.

"Absolute power corrupts absolutely." I said in an icy voice as I rose one booted foot. I awaked the sound of breaking bones beneath my foot and relished the anticipation.

"Have a nice time in hell"

Lilith only response as a blood curdling smile as she said

"I have a better idea."

She dropped her sword and with the newly free hand grasped the ankle of my posting leg. She released her grip on the ledge, and fell pulling me with her. Together we fell, enemies, rivals in life, united in death. The wind rushed past my ears, screaming their whispered secrets but none able to comprehend. Suddenly I was wrenched out of my fall with a bone jarring pull, sending my head back in a snapping motion. Bellow me the world sped by, flowing like water. I looked up to see Lilith flying, one hand out stretching in a grasping claw. I didn't understand what she was doing until I was a black shape falling. It was the Vorpral blade, tumbling end over end through the sky like a shard of death cast out by the gods.

Lilith hissed a word and the blades cruse was changed from falling to gliding towards her out stretched hand. The hilt of the damned blade fell into her palm almost as though it was magnetized. With her blade thoroughly encased in her hand she looked down at me with a sharp toothed grin. Suddenly there was no weight on my ankle. The earth bellow came closer and closer and not stopping. I was to close to open my wings so I tried to tuck and roll to minimize injury. But I only succeeded in hitting my back and bouncing. I hit hard the first time, shattering my wings, but it wasn't over. I hit a second and third time. The second I struck my legs, and on the third I struck my back once again. After the third impact I rolled, tumbling head over foot until I struck a small chunk of wall from a collapsed building. I struck the back of my head against it and found myself mostly sitting with my back slumped against the portion of wall. My vision swam and I could feel warm blood trickling down the back of my neck from where I split my scalp on the wall. Through my swimming vision I cold see my right leg laying limp and an unnatural angle. The splintered end of a bone protruded from the skin and muscle sticking out like a gagged rock pointing to the sky from the skin of the earth. Blood streaming forth from the wound turned the white of the bone a slight brownish color. I couldn't feel anything but that more then likely meant I was in shock. There was a loud thump as a shadowed figure landed, her wings loosely folded behind her, and Vorpral blade laid lazily across her shoulders. Every sound was muffled but magnified, her landing sounding to me like bolder falling to the ground. She stepped up to me, the gravel crunching beneath her feet sounding like synchronized cannon fire. She knelt in front of me shifting more gravel as she did, and brought her face close to mine.

"You just can't win Clawtaine. You might be older but I'm smarter, and father likes me more." Lilith whispered, her voice not muffled but as sharp as crystal razors. She stood standing high over me, silhouetted in the beams of the rising sun. She raised her sword high, the point smiling down at me with a greedy gleam of light dancing off of it from the sun.

I closed my eyes waiting for the end when three loud cracks rang out in the distance. A warm spray covered my face. I opened my eyes to see three fist sized holes in Lilith's silhouetted shape, one in her stomach, and two in her chest. The now rising sun gleamed throw the holes making them look like globes of golden light.

My ear bud crackled to life with static as a voice spoke through from the other end.

"Lets see you dodge that bitch." Came a weak feminine voice from the other end. A voice I thought I would never hear again. Only Krylica would say something like that after coming back from the grave. But the only thing that came to my mind was that she was alive. She was ALIVE. A wild grin split my face. My heart leapt into my throat with joy. She wasn't dead after all. Lilith fell forward, bringing the point of her sword down into my chest. Within a split second there was s sword hilt protruding from my chest. Lilith lay on me, our faces almost touching.

"Wipe that stupid grin off your face. We are sharing that space in hell." Lilith spoke in a weak voice and blood gushed from her mouth with each word, distorting the word. The blade its self didn't hurt but, the pain began from it. A cold stinging feeling like I was being torn apart from the inside. I could feel the demonic blade ripping at my soul eating it, drawing into its cold steel body and ripping it from my own. I tried to scream but nothing came from my lips but blood. I looked down at the blade, watching in horror as black red blood welled up around the edges of the blade and flowed down the sides of my body to pool beneath me. Everything began to feel cold, faded, distant, and dreamy. My vision blurred, blackness creeping in around the edges. The darkness crept closer and closer until… nothingness. The last thing I heard was Krylica's panic voice telling me to hold on. But there was nothing to hold onto.

The End


	21. Chapter 21

Eldritch Claw

By: Jason Kulls

Prolog: Blackest Re-Birth

Even in the void of destruction things can be reclaimed, for better or worse.

The first thing to come back to me was sound. I heard deep resending chants coming from all around but they sounded distant. But then they were gone. There was only the void of nothingness. No light no sound, no color, no black, no white, no grey. No feeling, no emotion, only, emptiness.

Then feeling started coming back. My head was pounded. I noted that every time I regain consciousness I head a skull splitting head ack. If this kept up I would just have to keep pain killers with me at all times.

Then I felt my body, and was aware that I felt faintly cold, and wondered if I had put on a shirt this morning. I remember the dream I had. I had been fighting with an evil women bent of killing me, and there was this girl with spiky hair, and this guy with armor. Why is it that I can only get real friends when I'm asleep?

I tossed the depressing question aside and tried to open my eyes. The lids were heavy and I new I needed more sleep but I needed to get up so I could get dressed before anyone else in the orphanage. It was finals and I couldn't miss any of my classes.

I opened my eyes and the first thing I became aware of was that I was hanging up right on a wall. I then noted that I was being held up by manacles which were chained to the wall holding my arms out stretched to either side, my feet about half a foot off the ground.

Well it's nice to know that it wasn't a dream that the world had really fallen into ruin, and that Zerath was dead, but at least Krylica was still alive and last I checked Lilith killed me with her dying act of hatred.

I looked around the room in confusion. It was a large square room with a low ceiling, black stone walls crafted from large bricks. The room was dark lit by two glowing red orbs on either side off the room. The red light thrown from the orbs showed three iron bar doors on either side of the room, and four large wooden tables in the center of the room forming a square. Beyond the iron bars I could see only shadows draped in more shadows. But on the tables I could see everything almost too clearly. The nearest table was three feet in front of me and it was blood stained. On the table sat several instruments which looked totally alien to me and crudely violent. Each instrument was blood stained and looked either surgical, or for torture, or both. At one corner of the blood splattered table was a wooden bucket and within it was what looked to be what I hopped were animal entrails. I looked up at the shackles holding me and saw that a single link was slightly bent and weakened on either side. I had a way out of whatever this place was at least. I took a deep breath and lowered my head as I pulled away from the wall. But I stopped my attempt to escape when I saw my self. Just past my rib cage was an empty cavern where once lay many of my organs. Now there was only an empty hole. The rim of the wound was jagged and torn but where all the muscle and organs connected within was smoothly cut. I screamed in terror, and disgust.

What was this? This had to be a dream. This couldn't be real. It couldn't be real, could it?

I thrashed back and forth against my restraints until they gave and sent me toppling to the ground. This was a nightmare. I was an abomination of nature. Before I was strange but I was not a walking corpse. What else could I be? My chest cavity was empty and my organs sat in front of me in a damned wooden bucket. I fell to my knees unsure of what to do next. My head slouched between my shoulders hanging there limp and motionless. The sound of a squeaking door came from across the room. I raised my head to face the newcomer.

1


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